First responders are urging Abbotsford residents to heed road closures and not attempt to drive through flooded areas after a number of people had to be rescued from the water Thursday night. Sgt. Paul Walker of the Abbotsford Police Department recounted to CTV News a notable rescue he says occurred after a man bypassed the closure at Whatcom Road and his car became submerged on South Parallel Road. The driver was able to extricate himself from the vehicle and sat on its roof to wait for help, which required firefighters to reach him in a raft. Walker said there were a few cases where search and rescue had to use boats to move stranded people off the flooded streets. Read more: LIVE UPDATES: B.C. flood reaches Highway 1 as schools close, evacuations expand in Abbotsford He added that when the water crossed Highway 1 on Thursday and it became impassable in minutes, first responders rushed to remove thousands of people from the road in a few hours. “People were respectful, they listened, they followed directions and we were able to do that relatively safely,” Walker said Friday morning. “It’s the people that are going around road closures on feeder routes because they assume that they can get through there, because they’ve driven that before. My message is, don’t even attempt that. What you’re doing is impacting public safety, dragging first responders into areas that we shouldn’t be because we closed that to rescue you.” Read more: Abbotsford mayor blasts feds for flooding ‘inaction’ as water starts receding He noted that a lot of roads in the area have large drainage ditches that drivers could accidentally fall into when the roadway is covered in water and, that a puddle that’s only a few inches deep on the edge can reach a few feet in the middle. While the water began to recede Friday, officials say it could take days for dry land to re-emerge and the situation is constantly evolving. “The majority of the community is working with us. It’s just a few people that always seem to step outside of that, and we need that to stop,” Walker said. “We need you to stay away from the highway. Stay home if you don’t have to travel. It’s Friday; have an extended long weekend and let’s get through the next few days together.” As of Friday afternoon, the City of Abbotsford said the following road closures remained in effect:
