'The devastation is unbelievable': Farmer returns home by boat in Abbotsford

Abbotsford, B.C. -

Transport Canada has temporarily banned boats from flood-ravaged areas of B.C., including Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford. But exceptions continue to be made for emergency workers and owners only able to access their livestock and property by water.

This means volunteers are still shuttling some people to their homes to rescue pets and retrieve important items.

One of those volunteers is Abbotsford resident Menno Koehoorn who has been out on the water since the floods hit.

“The devastation is unbelievable,” he said in an interview with CTV News.

While the water has receded in some part of Sumas Prairie, Koehoorn said it has been rising in others.

“There’s places that are 15 feet deep now.”

On Saturday, he helped Erik Timmermans and his family get back to their home to rescue their cat and get documents and photo albums.

“It’s just devastating to see your house being flooded and all your belongings floating around,” he told CTV News in a phone interview while at his home.

He said they had about eight inches of water on the main floor of his home.

“It’s a watery world out here,” he said.

Timmermans, 62, says his family always knew there was a risk that the property where he’s lived for almost 25 years could flood.

“It’s hard to accept, but it is what it is,” he said.

The family has a small nursery and he says all their trees are also underwater, but says he’s grateful his family is safe.

“I thank the Lord that we are safe and sound,” he said.

Meanwhile, Koehoorn said one of the silver linings of this devastating flooding is that the community is pulling together. But he believes there needs to be better co-ordination so volunteers with boats can continue to shuttle homeowners to their properties.