Kayaking B.C. teens rescued from floodwaters; 'not something you want your children in,' officials say

VANCOUVER -

Officials are stating what is obvious to some, but not to everyone: it is not safe to play in the floodwaters of Abbotsford, B.C.

The message came from the city's police chief, following the rescue of four "youths" who'd been caught kayaking in an evacuated area.

Police said the teens had to be saved from the swift rising water.

"We can't stress this enough. Please stay out of evacuated areas," the Abbotsford Police Department posted on Twitter Tuesday.

"This greatly hampers emergency response times for people needing it most."

It's a message Abbotsford Police Chief Mike Serr repeated during a news conference Wednesday morning.

"We don't have a full assessment of how bad, but assume that this water is not something that you want your children in a kayak (in), or you want to be swimming or wading in this water – and we're seeing that," Serr said.

"So again, I'm asking the public: we appreciate that you want to see what's happening and things like that, but we need you to stay away … It is not safe for your family."

Serr called the kayakers' actions "completely inappropriate" and unsafe.

Parts of the city remained underwater Wednesday, after a major fall storm battered the southern half of B.C. for days.

The heavy rain caused rivers to burst over their banks, prompting evacuation orders in some areas, and brought mud and debris crashing down, spilling across the only paths into and out of the province by car.

Many highways first closed Sunday remained that way for days, prompting border officials to announce some restrictions brought in by COVID-19 would be waived for those just trying to get home. 

In Abbotsford, dozens of people had to be rescued by air and water Tuesday night from the already-flooded Sumas Prairie as a pump station was nearly overwhelmed. The city warned of "catastrophic" flooding if the critical piece of infrastructure couldn't keep up. 

Fortunately, crews were able to build a dam to protect the station and buy time overnight. It's operating at full capacity, officials said, as the equipment works to prevent the area that was once Sumas Lake from flooding even further.