RECAP: Friday updates on B.C. flooding, after water rushes onto Highway 1

Floodwaters have overwhelmed Highway 1 in Abbotsford, plunging the community into the kind of chaos they know all too well.

Flooding continued to affect parts of Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, prompting expanded evacuation orders, school closures, the closure of a key stretch of Highway 1, and growing concern for farmers in the Sumas Prairie.

Provincial and local officials say conditions remain fluid as water continues to move through the region, with the Sumas area expected to remain a focal point through the day.

Here’s a recap of Friday’s news.

5:55 p.m. Water still covers Highway 1

Water is still blocking all lanes of Highway 1 west of the Whatcom Road overpass and will take time to clear up, Sgt. Paul Walker of the Abbotsford Police Department said in a video update.

“Over the last several hours a significant amount of the water that was here has dissipated and been pushed out toward the Fraser River,” he said.

He thanked volunteers, farmers, and first responders for their efforts.

“We’re all working together to get this area reopened as quickly and safely as we can,” he said.

4 p.m. CTV National News on flooding ‘chaos’

CTV National News B.C. Bureau Chief Andrew Johnson has been among the reporters on the ground in Abbotsford this week. He filed this report on the flooding from a national perspective.

• ‘It was chaos’: Floods overtake highway in Abbotsford as mayor blasts Ottawa

3:55 p.m. Images show storm damage on Hwy. 3

Images from the Ministry of Transportation and Transit offer a glimpse at the “extensive” damage along Highway 3 between Hope and Manning Park.

Officials say there are 23 separate sites with varying damage along the route, including from falling rocks, undermining and flooding following this week’s atmospheric river.

Speaking Friday morning, Janelle Staite, regional executive director for the ministry, said there is currently no reopening timeline for the highway.

“I certainly can say we don’t expect it to be open in the coming days,” Staite said.

• Read more: No reopening timeline for Hwy. 3 as crews repair 23 different storm damage sites

3:10 p.m. First responders recount rescues

Police urged Abbotsford residents to heed road closures 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.

• Read more: Abbotsford residents urged to stay off flooded roads after man rescued from roof of car

1:40 p.m. ‘Essential travel only’ in Chilliwack

The City of Chilliwack says workers are addressing “debris slides and localized flooding” within municipal boundaries Friday afternoon.

The municipality is reminding drivers to avoid all flooded areas and to venture out onto local roads for “essential travel only.”

“An evacuation order remains in place for two properties on Marble Hill Road due to a debris slide,” the city said in a statement shortly after noon.

“Crews have been working around the clock to address debris slides and localized flooding.”

The city also warned that some regional transit routes, including the Fraser Valley Express (route 66) between Chilliwack and Abbotsford, are not running due to the highway closure. Delays are also expected on route 71 (Agassiz-Harrison) and route 72 (Hope).

12:35 p.m. Congestion due to road closures

DriveBC is asking travellers to expect delays on Highway 7 in the Fraser Valley as motorists detour around the Highway 1 closure.

The Abbotsford Police Department also shared some photos Friday showing the flooding situation on various roads overnight and this morning.

12:20 p.m. B.C. dairy group says feds left sector vulnerable

A trade association that represents B.C.’s dairy industry is accusing the federal government of leaving Fraser Valley farmers vulnerable to flooding after the catastrophic floods of 2021 left hundreds of thousands of livestock animals dead.

“In 2024, the federal government declined the City of Abbotsford’s application for flood mitigation funding through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund,” BC Dairy said in a statement Friday.

“This outcome continues to leave farmers, residents, businesses, and critical transportation corridors such as the Trans-Canada Highway exposed to ongoing flood risk in the Sumas Prairie.”

The lobby group also extended its thanks to City of Abbotsford and the province as emergency officials work to mitigate the damage to the Fraser Valley’s agriculture sector.

Earlier Friday, Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens said he was “disappointed and frustrated” with the federal government over “inaction” on cross-border flooding that has inundated his city from the U.S.

Siemens said he has not been contacted by Ottawa about this week’s flooding that has forced hundreds of households to evacuate, while inundating poultry barns and forcing livestock relocations.

12:10 p.m. ‘A very slow process’

“The tap turned off” around midnight Friday morning as water levels in the Nooksack River receded, according to David Campbell, the head of B.C.’s River Forecast Centre.

Campbell said Abbotsford residents should see water levels come down throughout the day Friday, but it will take time for dry land to re-emerge.

“The basin, really through the Sumas (River) is really just needing to drain the water that we have in it,” Campbell said during Friday’s news conference.

“It’s a very slow process, so it’s something that really is going to take days to happen.”

And that estimate doesn’t factor in the possibility of heavy rain swelling the Nooksack again next week. Currently, modelling from the U.S. does not indicate further flooding from the Nooksack is likely, but that could change, Campbell said.

“This coming week could be seeing rainfall all the way from the Alaska panhandle down to California, so it’s a very significant weather pattern,” he said.

Asked when residents subject to evacuation orders could be allowed to return home, Abbotsford officials said they couldn’t provide a timeline yet. It will depend, in part, on how long it takes for the water to recede.

11:50 a.m. Lab flood diverts B.C. bird flu testing

The flooding at the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods building on Angus Campbell Road has shut down B.C.’s avian influenza testing lab for the remainder of the year.

Agriculture and Foods Minister Lana Popham said 12 inches of water had entered the lab space.

“This is compared to 2021, when it was five feet of water, so, it’s much different, but it still has an impact,” Popham said.

Testing will continue, but the lab work will be outsourced to other provinces—including Alberta and Manitoba—and the federal government, the minister said.

“That happened last time, as well,” she added. “It’s a fairly smooth process and testing will still get done, but we are handing it over to the federal government at this time.”

10:50 a.m. Abbotsford mayor blames feds

Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens took aim at the federal government in his remarks at Friday’s news conference, saying he has not received a call from Ottawa since the flooding in his city began Thursday morning.

He slammed the federal government for, in his view, failing to act quickly to implement the flood mitigation plan the city developed after the catastrophic floods of November 2021.

“To say that we are disappointed and frustrated is an understatement,” Siemens said. “Once again, the safety, the well-being, of our residents, our farms, our livestock, provincial food security, provincial economy and even our national economy remain unprotected and at risk.”

The mayor also directed some of his ire toward the United States, saying floodwaters from the Nooksack River in Washington state need to be considered under the same framework as the Columbia River Treaty, which governs water use and flood mitigation on that river between the two countries.

10:40 a.m. Poultry barns lost

Speaking at a news conference Friday morning, Minister of Agriculture and Foods Lana Popham says “a couple” of poultry barns have been “lost” due to the flooding in Abbotsford.

She didn’t specify a number of chickens who died in the flood overnight.

“Any time a farmer loses livestock, it’s heartbreaking and it’s traumatic and my heart goes out to those farmers,” Popham said, adding that hog and dairy farmers have helped each other with relocating livestock as needed.

A total of 68 registered farms are under evacuation orders and 98 are on evacuation alerts, Popham said.

10:15 a.m. Highway 3 damage

The Lower Mainland division of B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Transit shared an update on the situation on Highway 3 Thursday night.

The route remains closed between Hope and Princeton due to nearly two dozen damaged sites, with rockslides, debris and “undermining” considered key issues. There is no estimated time for reopening.

10:05 a.m. Washington homes washed away

While hundreds of properties in the Fraser Valley remain under evacuation orders Friday morning, the situation is dramatically worse just south of the Canada-U.S. border.

In Washington state, the Associated Press reports that National Guard troops went door-to-door early Friday morning to evacuate residents from communities where floodwaters pushed some homes off their foundations and left families stranded on rooftops.

Washington is under a state of emergency and evacuation orders are in place for tens of thousands of residents, including in the entire city of Burlington, home to nearly 10,000 people.

“I understand that many in our state have experienced significant floods in the past,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson posted on social media. ”However, we’re looking at a historic situation.”

9:52 a.m. Interior flood warnings ended

The B.C. River Forecast Centre has ended its flood warnings for the Tulameen River and Similkameen River tributaries near Princeton, B.C. The flood warning for the Sumas River in Abbotsford remains in place.

“Rainfall has eased through the region,” the centre says. “Rivers have reached peak levels and have now receded. No significant additional rises are anticipated at this time.”

9:50 a.m. Garbage collection cancelled

The City of Abbotsford has cancelled garbage and compost collection in certain areas on Friday due to “significant flooding and multiple road closures.”

The cancellation applies to all properties east of Highway 11 in the city’s “orange collection zone.”

“Crews will return to collect materials as soon as the water recedes and roads are safe to travel,” the city said in a statement.

9:25 a.m. Officials to provide update

For the third day in a row, B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene will hold a news conference to discuss the flood situation in the province.

The news conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., and CTVNewsVancouver.ca will be streaming the event live.

Greene is slated to be joined by Minister of Agriculture and Foods Lana Popham, Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens and B.C. River Forecast Centre head David Campbell.

The speakers are expected to provide an update on the ongoing disaster and take questions from reporters.

8:50 a.m. Floodwaters receding

Floodwaters have started to recede in parts of Abbotsford, according to The Canadian Press, but a special weather statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada says more rain is on the way for the already soaked Fraser Valley.

• RELATED: Abbotsford floodwaters receding as B.C. braces for more rain on way

The weather agency says “a relatively weak frontal system” is bringing light rain to the Lower Mainland today, with precipitation totals of 10 to 20 millimetres expected in the western and central portions of the Fraser Valley and 20 to 40 millimetres possible near Hope.

The big threat is on Sunday and Monday, however, when another “potentially significant push of moisture” will make its way into the region, according to ECCC.

“Rainfall amounts are currently uncertain but warnings will be issued as necessary in the upcoming days,” the special weather statement reads.

6:45 a.m. Setting the stage

CTV Your Morning Vancouver’s Regan Hasegawa was out in Abbotsford early Friday morning to set the scene for the day. Her reporting follows.

Highway 1 closed through Abbotsford

Out of concern for public safety, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit closed Highway 1 between Sumas Way and No. 3 Road after floodwater covered the highway.

Drivers are being urged to avoid the area and check DriveBC for the most up-to-date information, as crews continue to monitor conditions and assess when it may be safe to reopen the roadway.

Evacuation orders, alerts

The City of Abbotsford has expanded evacuation orders to include seven properties north of Highway 1, including the Clarion Hotel on North Parallel Road, the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods building on Angus Campbell Road, several nearby addresses, and Delair Park.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for 82 properties in Huntingdon Village and 371 properties in Sumas Prairie West. Evacuation alerts continue for 1,069 properties in Sumas Prairie East and West.

• RELATED: 5 people, 4 dogs rescued from B.C. floodwaters

City officials say emergency crews are going door to door in affected areas to ensure residents are aware of the orders and are assisting with evacuations where needed. An interactive evacuation map is available on the City of Abbotsford’s website to help residents confirm whether their property is impacted.

Residents are being reminded to stay away from waterways and avoid driving across flooded roads or bridges.

Impact on farmers

Provincial officials say the flooding is placing added strain on Abbotsford’s agricultural community, particularly in the Sumas Prairie.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food says 66 farms with registered livestock are currently under evacuation order, with an additional 99 farms under evacuation alert. Officials say farmers are dealing with standing water in fields while closely watching how conditions unfold over the next several hours.

The ministry says lessons learned from the 2021 flooding have improved communication and preparedness, including better co-ordination with local governments and farm associations.

Officials say livestock remain safe at this time, and ministry staff are supporting emergency operations in the region.

Schools closed Friday

All Abbotsford School District schools and district sites are closed on Friday due to flood-related operational impacts.

In an update issued late Thursday night, the district said the closure applies to all staff and students.

• RELATED: ‘It just went crazy’ Locals recount flooding on Sumas Prairie

“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” the district said, thanking families for their understanding and urging the community to stay safe.

Floodwaters continue to move

The River Forecast Centre says while rainfall has eased, water from the Nooksack River in Washington state is still spilling into the Sumas region. Officials expect levels to continue rising into Friday evening before conditions begin to improve.

Another weather system is expected to arrive later this weekend. While it is too early to determine its full impact, officials say they will continue monitoring river levels closely and provide updates as conditions change.

For the latest evacuation information, residents are encouraged to check the City of Abbotsford’s website.