Abbotsford lifts evacuation order for part of Sumas Prairie, announces return home plan
The City of Abbotsford is lifting evacuation orders for residents of part of Sumas Prairie.
Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun provided details on the city's "return home plan" for Sumas Prairie residents Friday afternoon.
The plan divides the prairie into four regions: South, Central, Lake Bottom, and North. Information for residents of each region can be found on the city's website, according to the mayor.
Residents of the North section will be able to return home immediately, though it's possible their homes will not be habitable, Braun said.
"With the lifting of this order, we are asking everyone to exercise extreme caution as they make their way through this newly opened area, especially over the next few days as we have snow in our forecast," he said.
"Our objective is to make sure as many people as possible can return home safely, while not being held up by areas that may not be accessible due to unsafe conditions," Braun added.
The mayor explained that floodwaters are still coming across the U.S. border and draining through the Sumas River out the Barrowtown Pump Station floodgates.
He said the northern part of the prairie is the first to see the evacuation order lifted because it's "relatively dry," with water in that area receding south into the former Sumas Lake bottom.
Braun became emotional as he announced the lifting of the evacuation order. Asked to explain how it felt to be delivering the news, he talked about the devastation caused by the storm that struck in mid-November.
"I watched people's hearts break," he said, holding back tears. "Some lost everything … I have friends up there. I'm glad to see them go back."
The mayor said the Central and South sections of the Prairie will likely be the next to see evacuation orders lifted, but that can't happen until floodwater stops coming over the border.
The Lake Bottom section will be the last to drain and therefore the last to reopen, Braun said. That area is the centre of the former Sumas Lake, which was drained in the early 20th century to create the Sumas Prairie.
As of Thursday, floodwaters in the Lake Bottom area were still nearly two metres deep, according to Braun.
He said water had receded by roughly 30 centimetres over the last 24 hours, as the pump station continues to work around the clock to drain the prairie.
Residents returning home will find placards on their doors reflecting the city's "rapid damage assessment" of their buildings - including dwellings, barns and other structures.
Green placards mean that re-entry is permitted, yellow ones mean access is restricted subject to various conditions (which will be noted on the placard), and red ones mean do not enter without authorization from the appropriate authorities.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.