Heavy rainfall from an atmospheric river on Wednesday has led to evacuation alerts and orders for multiple properties in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley.
The City of Abbotsford issued evacuation alerts for properties in Sumas Prairie West and Clayburn Village just before 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Later in the evening, a state of local emergency was declared, and 371 properties in Sumas Prairie West were ordered to evacuate.
Evacuation alerts remain in place for Sumas Prairie East, as well as the rest of Sumas Prairie West and Clayburn Village. The decisions were made based on predictive data indicating the Nooksack River’s imminent flooding risk.
Residents in affected areas are advised to plan for possible evacuation orders. A reception centre has been set up at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre to provide shelter and assistance to those displaced by the orders.
Farmers concerned about their livestock are encouraged to contact the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture or industry associations for support.
While officials believe the current weather event may not be as severe as previous incidents, provincial weather modeling suggests the aftermath could be more damaging than past floods.