RECAP: Thursday updates on flood warnings, evacuations in B.C.

Hundreds of Abbotsford residents were ordered to evacuate and major highways were closed as flood warnings remain in place.

Flooding caused by heavy rain and overflowing rivers forced evacuations and the closure of highways connecting the Lower Mainland and the Interior this week.

• Read more: B.C. flood warnings expand as hundreds under evacuation orders, alerts

Here’s a recap of the developments on Thursday.

8:16 p.m. New evacuations, highway closure in Abbotsford

Floodwaters reached Highway 1 in Abbotsford on Thursday night, triggering a new evacuation order for seven properties, including the Clarion Hotel.

The full list of evacuation orders and alerts is available on an interactive map.

The province also closed down the highway from Sumas Way to No. 3 Road.

6:25 p.m. Abbotsford floodwaters peaking ‘within the next 12 hours’

The floodwaters in Sumas Prairie and Huntingdon Village are expected to peak “within the next 12 hours,” according to the City of Abbotsford.

“Water levels on the Abbotsford side of the border continue to rise and based on current modelling and data from the 1990 flood event, water is anticipated to reach Highway 1 late this evening or early tomorrow morning,” officials wrote in an update Thursday evening.

The city reminded residents they are “strongly urged” to keep away from evacuation areas, as well as all flooded roads—not only for their safety, but to ease strain on emergency crews.

While Nooksack River levels are said to be dropping in Washington state, overflow waters are “still flowing towards Abbotsford,” officials said.

4:15 p.m. Don’t drive through floodwaters, Abbotsford officials warn

A number of roads in Abbotsford have been closed, and the city is urging people not to drive through floodwaters.

“This is a significant safety issue and places additional strain on our emergency response crews, requiring them to conduct active rescues,” a bulletin from the city said.

Road closures include:

• Vye Road in both directions from Whatcom Road to Sumas Way
• Angus Campbell Road in both directions from Boundary to South Parallel roads
• 2nd Avenue east of B Street

3:55 p.m. Coquihalla Highway reopens

Highway 5 between Hope and Merritt has reopened, according to DriveBC.

Highway 1 remains closed eastbound between Highway 9 and Hope, and Highway 3 is still closed in both directions from Hope to Princeton.

https://x.com/DriveBC/status/1999264209654431813

3:40 p.m. ‘Potentially catastrophic’ situation in Washington state

Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson shared a dire update on flooding south of the border, saying the disaster has the “potential for significant loss of life.”

The entire state is under a state of emergency, and roughly 78,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, according to the Associated Press.

3:05 p.m. Chilliwack issues evacuation order, declares state of emergency

A “debris slide” in Chilliwack brought on by heavy rain has prompted an evacuation order for two properties on Marble Hill Road, according to officials.

“The two impacted properties have received hand-delivered notices from city staff,” a news release from the city said.

To facilitate the issuing of evacuation alerts and orders, the City of Chilliwack has declared a local state of emergency.

Local states of emergency are already in effect in Abbotsford and part of the Fraser Valley Regional District.

2:55 p.m. Update on highways set for 7 p.m.

DriveBC has said the next update on major highway closures will take place at 7 p.m., unless conditions change as the afternoon progresses.

• Highway 1 is closed to eastbound traffic between Highway 9 and Hope
• Highway 3 is closed in both directions between Hope and Princeton
• Highway 5 is closed in both directions between Hope and Merritt

Earlier in the day, the transportation minister said preliminary assessments showed there have been “road impacts” but that the situation is not “near the state of infrastructure damage that we experienced during the 2021 event.”

2:25 p.m. Premier in touch with local leaders, grateful to emergency crews

B.C. Premier David Eby, who cancelled a scheduled event Thursday amid flooding and evacuations, issued a statement saying he’s been in touch with leaders in the hardest-hit areas, including Abbotsford and Princeton.

“We are supporting local crews, sharing information and ensuring resources are there for people when they need them. My thanks goes out to all emergency responders,” Eby wrote in a social media post.

1:30 p.m. Water continues to pour across border

Water from the Nooksack River in Washington state continues to flow into Abbotsford.

“Flows on the Sumas River are expected to continue to rise into Thursday evening and overnight before receding on Friday morning,” an update from the B.C. River Forecast Centre said.

1:10 p.m. Information circulating online, causing ‘undue panic and concern’

Abbotsford’s mayor is urging residents to make sure the information they are relying on when it comes to evacuation orders and alerts is accurate and up to date.

An order from 2021—when thousands were forced to flee—has been circulating online and is causing “undue panic and concern” for residents, Ross Siemens said in a video statement.

Evacuation orders are in place for 82 properties in Huntingdon Village and 371 properties in the western part of the Sumas Prairie. An additional 1,069 properties are on alert elsewhere on the Sumas Prairie.

Based on the latest information, this flooding event is “tracking similar” to a 1990 flood that was a “lesser event” than the devastating disaster in 2021, Siemens said.

Current information about the city’s response to flooding can be found online and an interactive map can be searched by address.

12:55 p.m. Flood warnings lifted for lower Fraser River tributaries

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre has called off flood warnings for the Chilliwack, Skagit, and Coquihalla rivers as well as other waterways in the Fraser Valley.

Rainfall in the region has eased but overflow from the Nooksack River in Washington state continues to spill into the Sumas River, where a flood warning remains in effect.

“Flows on other rivers through the region are now receding, with continued improvements expected through the day.”

12:35 p.m. Evacuation orders for 66 farms with livestock

Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said the chickens, cows and pigs on the affected farms are safe and accounted for.

Popham acknowledged the situation is challenging for the region’s agriculture sector, but said the province has “learned a lot” since the flooding in 2021

“Those lessons are already allowing us to be more prepared as we face this emergency,” she told the news conference. “Our priority, of course, is to protect people, animals and the agriculture sector.”

Catastrophic flooding in 2021 left hundreds of thousands of farm animals, mostly chickens, dead.

12:05 p.m. Crews work to clear mudslide on Highway 1

A mudslide near Bridal Falls is one of the many issues highway maintenance crews are grappling with.

Highway 1 is closed to eastbound traffic between Hope and Highway 9.

The Coquihalla is closed in both directions between Hope and Merritt, and Highway 3 is closed between Hope and Princeton. There is no estimate for when these routes will reopen.

11:59 a.m. Views of the flooding in Abbotsford

New images are offering a look at the flooding in Abbotsford, including on farms near the Sumas border crossing.

Hundreds of properties in the Fraser Valley remain under evacuation orders or alerts Thursday.

11:55 a.m. Tiger Dam ready to be ‘quickly deployed ‘if necessary, transport minister

A tiger dam has been “staged” in the median of Highway 1 in Abbotsford and can be set up in the event of flooding on the roadway.

One of these devices was used in 2021, in the same location.

11 :45 a.m. Protecting the pump station

Crews in Abbotsford are hard at work at the Barrowtown Pump Station, a crucial part of the Sumas Prairie’s flood protection infrastructure.

11:35 a.m. ‘We are not yet through this emergency’: minister

Although rainfall warning have been lifted in B.C., water flooding into Canada from the Nooksack River in Washington state is creating challenging conditions—particularly in Abbotsford’s Sumas Prairie.

“I know this is an uncertain time for families, farmers and communities, I want to end with thanks for everyone who worked through the night to help neighbors and keep communities safe. We will get through this together,” said Kelly Greene, minister of emergency preparedness and climate readiness.

11:30 a.m. Why is this happening again?

What’s an atmospheric river? Why does the Nooksack River in Washington state matter to B.C.? Get answers to these questions and more in this explainer article.

The Canadian Press

11:15 a.m. New evacuation order in Abbotsford

The City of Abbotsford has issued a new evacuation order, covering 82 properties in Huntingdon Village.

This is in addition to the order in place for 371 properties in the Sumas Prairie, and alerts covering 1,069 additional properties in the Sumas Prairie.

An alert for Clayburn Village has been lifted.

11 a.m. Provincial officials provide update

B.C.’s minister of emergency preparedness and climate readiness was joined by other officials to provide an update on flooding. evacuations, and road closures.

10:30 a.m. Crews report on overnight helicopter rescue

A group of five people and four dogs were trapped on an island in the Chilliwack River with “flood waters rising all around them,” according to North Shore Rescue.

Two helicopters were deployed and worked for approximately five and a half hours to hoist the people and animals to safety.

10:15 a.m. Floodwater pours across Canada-U.S. border

10 a.m. Rainfall totals updated

The following weather stations had recorded more than 100 millimetres of rain by 7 a.m. Thursday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

• Agassiz: 103 millimetres
• Chilliwack Airport: 110 millimetres
• Coquihalla Summit: 101 millimetres
• Cultus Lake: 125 millimetres
• Hope Airport: 140 millimetres
• Haig Camp: 145 millimetres

9:30 a.m. Trains from Vancouver to Seattle cancelled

Amtrak has cancelled all trains between Vancouver and Seattle through Friday, also noting bus service will likely not be available due to flooding.

Service will resume Saturday, if conditions permit.

9 a.m. Highways closed until at least noon

DriveBC said highways connecting B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Interior regions will remain closed until at least noon, as engineering assessments are underway.

8:30 a.m. More flood warnings issued

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre has issued flood warnings for the Tulameen and Similkameen rivers, meaning “levels have exceeded bankfull or will exceed bankfull imminently, and that flooding of areas adjacent to the rivers affected will result.”

Residents nearby are being told to review their emergency plans and evacuation alerts have been issued in the Town of Princeton and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

7 a.m. Border crossing closed due to evacuations in U.S.

The Canada-U.S. border crossing at Sumas Way remains closed to all traffic, due to flood-related evacuations in Washington state.