‘We saw the water levels rise’: Langley-area neighbourhood hit by damaging flood

Fraser Valley homes ravaged by floods Residents blame the highway construction for the level of damage, as the Aldergrove community picks up the pieces from the weekend’s torrent

A Township of Langley neighbourhood was submerged in flood water over the weekend after the atmospheric river swept through.

Some residents on 264th Street north of Highway 1 were forced to use sea-doos to access the main road as the water levels rose.

Gagan Gill, who has lived in the area for several years, had a small home on his property with feet of flood water.

“It’s never been a problem in the past,” said Gill.

“We saw the water levels rise and we were confused and concerned and after that we realized this was going to become a bigger problem.”

Gill said the home has now been condemned, and the damage is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

Several neighbours told CTV News that they believe work being done nearby on Highway 1 resulted in a blockage to the draining system.

CTV News attempted to contact KEA Fraser Valley Connectors and a contractor, that neighbours say is also involved, but did not hear back prior to publishing.

The Ministry of Transportation responded and stated that due to the interregnum, the government remains in a temporary caretaker mode, and communications are limited to critical health and public safety information.

The ministry did say it is aware of the concerns about localized flooding in the interchange area.

“Staff from the ministry have been in touch with local residents, and its project contractor began looking into the matter this past weekend,” read the statement.

“While it’s unclear if construction affected drainage in the area during this past weekend’s heavy rainfall, staff will continue to work with residents to address their concerns.”

Over the weekend, Environment Canada recorded a daily record for rainfall in Langley with more than 117 mm.

The weather agency explained that the south coast is entering a stretch of months in which there could be a minimum of 24 days straight of registered rain.

The 264th Street neighbourhood is now hoping there is time to find a solution if more rain triggers another flood.