Expected pump station failure in Abbotsford, B.C., prompts urgent warning to residents under evacuation orders
Abbotsford officials are sharing an update Wednesday morning on the flooding situation in Abbotsford. Follow Wednesday's developing coverage here.
Officials in Abbotsford, B.C., have issued an urgent warning to residents under an evacuation order in the Sumas Prairie that "catastrophic" flooding is expected in the area.
The city sounded the alarm Tuesday night that the Barrowtown Pump Station is at risk of being overwhelmed, which would see even more water flow into the already flooded Sumas Prairie.
"You need to leave immediately," Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun urged residents at an emergency news conference at 9 p.m. "If you can't leave, please call 911 for support."
Water is also flowing down from Sumas Mountain, exacerbating an already challenging situation, according to officials.
First responders believe there are about 300 people who remain in the evacuated area, spread over a couple hundred different properties.
That includes an unconfirmed number who require water rescue due to previous flooding from the intense storm that bombarded the province on Sunday and Monday.
The city described the Barrowtown Pump Station as a "critical piece of infrastructure" preventing Sumas Lake from reforming, and said the failure of even one of its four pumps would result in quickly rising water levels in the Sumas Prairie, which has been under an evacuation order since Tuesday morning.
Braun said Abbotsford's engineering team is working hard to keep the pump station operational, but that there's no telling how long they will be able to sustain it.
"If there is an overflow into the pump station – that water level is now about a metre below – this situation will become critical very quickly," the mayor said. "Even at four pumps running full bore, that water has continued to rise."
Residents have been told to abandon any efforts to save livestock and get out while they're able. The mayor said evacuees would be "incredibly surprised" at how rapidly the situation would worsen following a pump station failure.
"There's nowhere for that water to go," Braun said. "I know it's hard for farmers to leave their livestock, but people's lives are more important to me right now than livestock and chickens."
Firefighters said they are also working with staff from neighbouring Chilliwack to construct a sandbag wall around the pump station that would buy some time in the event of a pump failure. They're also trying to bring in additional pumps, as well as more helicopters to help carry people to safety.
Abbotsford Police Chief Mike Serr said a co-ordinated rescue effort is underway, but that the situation is "changing literally by the minute."
"We've reached out to provincial, federal resources to support us. We have search and rescue resources coming in from across the Lower Mainland to help," Serr said. "We're getting to all the people as fast as we can to support them and to support their families."
Abbotsford remains under a local state of emergency issued Monday, and B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation has advised the public to avoid travelling to the city and its surrounding areas due to extensive flood damage to roadways.
Prior to Tuesday night, residents were already working together to help stranded families evacuate. Authorities said some had used power boats to haul cows to dry ground.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are expecting their first child
Hailey Rhode Bieber, Canadian musician Justin Bieber's wife, announced her pregnancy on social media on Thursday. Hailey posted a series of photos showing her baby bump alongside husband Justin.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street