B.C. flooding: New evacuations and highway closure Thursday night in Abbotsford

The Nooksack River in Washington state spilled over, turning farms in Abbotsford's Sumas Prairie into lakes.

Officials issued new evacuation orders in Abbotsford, B.C., and closed a stretch of Highway 1 as local floodwaters continued rising Thursday night.

The City of Abbotsford said the latest evacuated properties are all located north of Highway 1, and include the Clarion Hotel on Parallel Road, the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods building on Angus Campbell Road, and five other properties.

Flooding also forced officials to shut down the highway from Sumas Way to No. 3 Road shortly before 8 p.m.

Approximately 450 other properties in the Fraser Valley remain under evacuation orders, while more than 1,800 others in that region and the Okanagan-Similkameen are under evacuation alerts following this week’s intense atmospheric river.

“We are not yet through this emergency,” said Kelly Greene, the province’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, during a news conference earlier Thursday. “This is going to be a team effort, and everyone has a role to play.”

B.C. Premier David Eby told CTV News he’s monitoring the unfolding situation in the Fraser Valley.

Government investments in river flow prediction equipment allowed the province to “move much faster” this week than it could during the devastating flooding of November 2021, Eby said.

He also noted Abbotsford’s Barrowtown Pump Station, which was nearly overwhelmed four years ago, is “much better protected” following flood-resilience upgrades.

“This is still very scary for a lot of people in the area,” Eby said. “But certainly, we’ve got the teams in place to provide the support that’s necessary.”

Highway closures

While some routes into southwestern B.C. have reopened since being closed Wednesday—including The Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt, Highway 1 between Yale and Lytton and Highway 99 to Lillooet—others remain closed or partially closed.

Drivers heading west on Highway 1 from Hope can get through to Chilliwack, but eastbound traffic is closed, while Highway 3, the southern route out of the Lower Mainland, is completely cut off.

Engineering assessments and repairs were underway Thursday morning, with updates on the status of the highways expected later in the day, the province said.

Flood warnings and evacuations

Flood warnings—the highest alert issued by B.C.’s River Forecast Centre—remain in effect for the Sumas River, Tulameen River, and Similkameen River tributaries, including those around Princeton.

On Thursday afternoon, the City of Chilliwack declared a state of local emergency, issuing an evacuation order for two properties on Marble Hill Road.

The evacuations were prompted by a “debris slide caused by heavy rain in the area,” the city said in an update on its website.

The emergency declaration followed others issued by the City of Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley Regional District.

Abbotsford ordered residents of 82 properties to leave Thursday as water from the Nooksack River in Washington state crossed the border into the Fraser Valley. Those evacuated properties were in addition to the 371 properties in the Sumas Prairie West region that the city had previously ordered abandoned.

Abbotsford has also issued evacuation alerts for the Sumas Prairie East area, while earlier alerts remain in place for the rest of Sumas Prairie West, where more than 1,000 residents have been told to be prepared to flee.

An earlier evacuation alert for the Clayburn Village area has been rescinded.

On Wednesday, the Fraser Valley Regional District ordered the evacuation of several properties along the Chilliwack River and placed others on evacuation alert.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has told residents in the Tulameen area to be prepared to evacuate on short notice, and the town of Princeton, located southeast of Tulameen, also issued an evacuation alert for its waterfront on the Similkameen and Tulameen rivers.

School closures

All schools and facilities in the Fraser-Cascade School District in Hope and Agassiz were ordered closed Thursday due to the situation on local roadways.

A statement from the district says administrators are working with the province to monitor conditions and determine when it is safe for students and staff to return.

“The safety and well-being of our school community remain our highest priority,” the school district said. “We encourage everyone to stay home and stay safe.”

In Abbotsford, Semá:th Elementary School is also closed with no students, staff or community members allowed on the property, according to the Abbotsford School District.

“Please do not attempt to attend the school for any reason until further notice, the school district said in a statement.

“We know this is a stressful and uncertain time for many families. Your safety and well-being remain our highest priority. Please continue to follow all directions from emergency officials, stay safe with your loved ones, and take care of one another.”

B.C. rainfall totals

Washington state was under a state of emergency Thursday as rains sent rivers flowing over their banks. Bob Ferguson, the state’s governor, declared a statewide emergency Wednesday night, warning “lives will be at stake in the coming days.”

Environment Canada says 140 millimetres of precipitation fell in the Hope region by 7 a.m. Thursday, while 110 millimetres were recorded in Chilliwack and 101 millimetres were recorded at the Coquihalla Summit.

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit issued a travel advisory Wednesday night, urging the public to avoid travel in areas at risk of flooding.

“All travellers should be aware that conditions can change rapidly, with limited visibility due to high-intensity rainfall, pooling water, localized flooding and the potential for rising river levels to contribute to flooding in areas of the Fraser Valley, which could further impact road conditions,” the advisory said.

Water levels expected to peak

Greene, the emergency management minister, says the situation in the Fraser Valley is reminiscent of the catastrophic flooding the region suffered in 2021, when the Nooksack River flooded the Sumas Prairie.

“These communities have been here before and are still recovering,” Greene said.

“While we don’t know yet exactly what today and the days ahead will bring, the province is preparing for all eventualities.”

Connie Chapman, executive director of the provincial Water Management Branch, says outflows from the Nooksack rival those of four years ago.

The City of Abbotsford issued an update around 6:30 p.m. Thursday forecasting that floodwaters in Sumas Prairie and Huntingdon Village are “expected to peak within the next 12 hours.”

Officials 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 had begun dropping by the evening, overflow waters are “still flowing towards Abbotsford,” the city said.

Farm evacuations

More than 60 livestock farms are currently under evacuation orders in the flooded regions, with roughly 100 more farms under evacuation alert, but provincial Agriculture Minister Lana Popham says the chickens, cows and pigs on the farms are currently 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, when hundreds of thousands of animals were killed.

“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.”

David Campbell with the province’s River Forecast Centre says more atmospheric river conditions are on the way over the coming days and will “continue to challenge” the region’s soils and river systems.

“At this point, vigilance is important as we go through the coming week,” he said Thursday. “We’ll continue to be monitoring and updating our level of concern if we’re seeing that those events have the potential for more or ongoing flood hazard.”