Abbotsford, B.C., officials 'very concerned' with up to 220 mm of rainfall expected through Wednesday
Overnight rainfall in flood-ravaged Abbotsford, B.C., was no match for the city's fully operational Barrowtown Pump Station, but officials remain anxious about the forecast over the coming days.
Mayor Henry Braun said the atmospheric river that arrived on the South Coast Thursday delivered approximately 50 millimetres of rain, but that the Barrowtown floodgates remained fully open throughout the night, allowing the swollen Sumas River to continue emptying into the Fraser.
"Overnight conditions remained stable across the flood zone," Braun said at a Friday morning update.
"Despite this positive news, we remain very concerned about the coming weather events and the impact they will have."
The mayor noted that floodwaters in Sumas Prairie were dropping by up to eight inches per day prior to Thursday's storm, but only decreased by three inches over the last 24 hours while pumps grappled with a new influx of rain and river runoffs.
And the next two atmospheric rivers expected to reach the region Saturday and Tuesday could be significantly wetter.
"Current estimates are that we will receive between 90 and 120 millimetres Saturday and Sunday, with an additional 50 to 100 millimetres of rain Tuesday and Wednesday," Braun said. "Cumulatively, that is more water in total than the initial event, although over a longer period of time."
The historic storm that caused devastating flooding, landslides and highway washouts in B.C. last week delivered about 180 millimetres of rain to Abbotsford over about two-and-a-half days.
Braun has estimated the flooding caused $1 billion worth of damage in his city alone. Thousands of livestock also died as a result of the natural disaster, the scale and severity of which has been blamed on human-caused climate change.
The mayor said crews have been hard at work bracing for the next storms, and have completed repairs on the main portion of a dike that burst last week, sending water from the Sumas River gushing into Sumas Prairie.
Efforts continue to raise a further seven kilometres of dike along the river, which Braun estimated would be finished late Friday or Saturday.
Much remains out of local and provincial officials' control, however. Last week's flooding was exacerbated by water from the Nooksack River in Washington state, which has been surging once again.
The river is currently expected to reach "moderate flood stage" on Sunday, according to an update posted on the Whatcom County website Friday.
"Damage to levee systems from previous storms may result in greater impacts to the floodplain areas than would typically be experienced at these river levels," the county said, adding that the "potential also exists for this to impact Sumas."
Flooding in the city of Sumas could result in water spilling across the border into B.C., Abbotsford said in Friday evening update.
Given the forecast, Braun said he does not expect any changes to Abbotsford's existing evacuation orders before the middle of next week.
"We understand this is a difficult time for everyone impacted by this difficult situation," the mayor added. "Please know we are focussed on your safety and will continue to update you as we can."
Meanwhile, Canada Task Force 1 is continuing to perform rapid damage assessments in the city. More than 2,000 properties have been assessed so far, and the team is expected to undertake 1,000 more over the coming days.
With files from The Canadian Press
Correction
Correction: A previous version of this story reported that Braun estimated flooding damage in his city to be in the billions. The damage is estimated to be $1 billion.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.