Abbotsford mayor feeling calm ahead of atmospheric river

The mayor of one of B.C.’s flood-ravaged communities is keeping calm ahead of an atmospheric river set to bring a deluge of rain to the region this week.

Up to 100 mm is predicted to fall in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, Environment and Climate Change Canada says. 

It comes just days after heavy snow fell in the region, which combined with the rainfall, could lead to localized flooding in some areas.

Related Video:

But Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun says he is not concerned there will be a repeat of the destruction from the previous series of atmospheric rivers.

Last November, southern B.C., including Abbotsford’s Sumas Prairie region, was hit with catastrophic floods and landslides which it is still recovering from.

The region is included in the rainfall warnings, but Environment Canada says Abbotsford likely won’t bear the brunt of the downpours.

Residents are still being warned to watch for localized flooding.

“We’re forecast to get 50 to 90 mm of rain, that doesn’t concern me, unless something weird happens,” Braun said. “Now, if it gets closer to 150, now I start to get nervous. But I’m understanding that …Metro Vancouver are going to be getting that rain and probably in North Van, in some places, 200 mm — if that happened here, we’re going to have we’re going to have a lot more problems than we think.”

He says Clayburn Village is one of the areas the city is keeping a close eye on for possible flooding, because of the sedimentation that has filled the creek after the first atmospheric river. The city has been waiting for the okay from the Department of Fisheries to do the work in that area.

“If you have a house that’s in a low lying area, and that that snow starts to melt, because the freezing levels gone up to 2,000 meters and the snow melt coming off of Mount Baker and Sumas Mountain and Vedder Mountain and then the rain on top of that, I won’t be shocked if there’s some houses that have a little bit of water in the ground floor,” Braun said.

Related Articles:

• BC Hydro pole travels from Interior on rivers to Tsawwassen

• Atmospheric river on the way for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley

• Heavy rain, flood risk in Lower Mainland prompts advisories

Braun emphasizes the city is as prepared as it can be for the expected atmospheric river, and a state of emergency has been extended through to next week.

“The sandbags are still pretty much all in place and we will leave them there until we get through spring,” he said.

“We are monitoring the Nooksack very closely, and constant constant conversations with the mayor of Everson. He tells me they aren’t concerned about it.”

He says all of the ditches have been cleaned out, and the Barrowtown pump station is working.

Crews work to rebuild a dyke on the Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford, B.C. on Friday November 19th, 2021. (Image Credit: City of Abbotsford)

After the November floods, the dikes have been built up higher than they were before, he says, adding more containment capacity.

He says the city will likely have to monitor the situation extremely closely right through to March.