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
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.