Military joins efforts to rescue animals in Abbotsford flood zone

Abbotsford, B.C. -

Animal rescues continued Saturday on flood-stricken Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford, and the military joined the effort.

Soldiers were hoisted in front-end loaders to help move poultry from flooded barns.

Meanwhile, feed and water for animals remain serious concerns.

“This morning, we were able to airdrop four tonnes of feed to a hog farm in Abbotsford to feed about 4,000 hogs,” Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said.

While flood waters are still deep in many parts of Sumas Prairie, in other areas, the water has receded and farmers are trying to pick up the pieces.

At one dairy farm, where the water has dropped by several feet, the problem now is access.

“We’re trying to get the water down another foot or so, so the milk trucks can get in,” said farm worker Mattais Koster, who was checking on the pumps.

Not far away, another farm was pouring milk down the drain, as many farmers are, because the water used for washing equipment is contaminated.

Laurie Doppenberg is a second generation dairy farmer.

She said it’s been "emotionally exhausting" to deal with the flood.

“My dad has been here since 1955 and we have never had barns or the farm house flooded here,” she said.

But she said the situation became critical earlier this week.

“The holding area in the barn, we were up waist high in water. The cows were up to their stomach or udders,” Doppenberg explained.

She flagged down a passing truck and trailer and begged for help to move the animals.

Other farmers have had their animals brought to safety using jet skis and then loaded into waiting trailers.

But some animals didn’t make it out.

Officials have said thousands of animals have died in the flooding. Farmers say the number is much higher, with some poultry farmers saying they’ve lost tens of thousands of birds. Cattle have also died.

Dairy farmer Fred Gietema was one of the first to see a break in one section of the Sumas River dike.

“That was sheer horror, watching that happen,” he told CTV News.

“For probably three hours, we had attempted to block it and the water just kept coming up and up and up.”

He worried about how he would protect his herd.

“We were told to leave but I wasn’t going to leave," he said. "I’m not leaving them (the animals). They’re my life.”

Gietema became emotional as he talked about when the water, desperately needed for his cattle, was turned off.

His animals went for almost 24 hours without water before it could be tanked in.

“When I was trying to fill up one particular trough, all the cows were crying, screaming at me.”

Many farmers praised their neighbours and strangers for helping as they deal with unprecedented flooding.