Abbotsford ‘as ready as can be’ for incoming storms, mayor says

Abbotsford is bracing for the next round of storms, while still in clean-up mode from the last one.

Mayor Henry Braun says we now know just how much rain fell last week, causing the devastating flooding.

“The initial atmospheric river event that occurred Nov. 12-14 brought 180 millimetres of rain over that 2.5-day period,” he said. “Current estimates are that we will receive between 90 and 120 millimetres of rain Saturday and Sunday, with an additional 50 to 100 millimetres of rain Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Braun says “we are as ready as we can be,” with the Barrowtown pump stable and the floodgates remaining open.

Related video: Abbotsford holds steady in rain as highway 1 partly reopens

“We continue to focus our recovery efforts, so that people will be able to return to their homes when it is safe to do so,” he said.

However, Braun doesn’t expect anyone still out of their homes will be able to go back until at least the middle of next week.

????Rapid Damage Assessments (RDA’s) are being carried out for flood affected properties. You may have a red, yellow or green placard on your building when the evacuation order is lifted.

⚠️Please note Sumas Prairie is still under an evacuation order.https://t.co/N7pW7vnK7V pic.twitter.com/EjqtAJAmfC

— City of Abbotsford (@City_Abbotsford) November 25, 2021

The mayor says it has been an emotional week and a half for city employees.

“My emotions and the staff’s emotions, all of the team and the emergency ops centre … We’ve all been working long, long days. Very little sleep. The stress levels fluctuate from time to time with all kinds of emotions.”

Related video: Concerns about contamination as Sumas Prairie advised not to use water

Earlier this week, Braun urged everyone in his city to prepare for incoming storms.

“Prepare an emergency kit for you and your family so that you are self-sufficient for at least 72 hours with food, water, clothes, and a battery-operated or wind-up flashlight,” he said Tuesday.

“It’s also important to ensure that your vehicles are fueled and parked in an area that will allow you to evacuate quickly, if required. If you are looking to protect your property right now, sand and sandbags are available at both Albert Dyck Park and Yarrow Hardware.”

On Friday, the province issued similar warnings for people who must travel over the weekend.

Related articles:

• B.C. says rethink travel plans amid floods, incoming storm, gas supply issues

• Abbotsford farmers devastated by destruction of homes, crops in flooding

• Gravity of disastrous flood on B.C. crops, livestock loss unfolds as province prepares for storm

Crews in Abbotsford have been working hard to repair the main dike that breached during the mid-November storm ahead of the next round of rainfall. Evacuation orders remain in effect in that city and many farmers have lost crops and expensive farming equipment.

“We have over 100 acres of blueberries planted and today they’ve been destroyed by the floodwaters,” one farmer told OMNI News. “Eight or nine tractors are in the water, two trucks are in the water, two harvesting machines are gone. My farm has become a lake.

He says his losses total thousands of dollars, adding the farm provided work for about 20 people and their families.