Evacuation orders downgraded in Abbotsford; rain, wind warnings persist in B.C.
The receding of floodwaters in Abbotsford, B.C., has led officials to reopen Highway 1 and downgrade some evacuation orders, though more rain is expected across the Fraser Valley and other parts of the province.
The City of Abbotsford announced Sunday afternoon that evacuation orders for 248 properties in Sumas Prairie have been downgraded to evacuation alerts.
The properties downgraded include those from Sumas Dike/Marion Road west to most properties accessible from Whatcom Road, and most properties south of the Sumas River.
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A flood warning remains in effect for Sumas River, according to the city, and residents on evacuation alert should remain ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
Abbotsford's interactive evacuation map has been updated and is searchable by address.
In an update Sunday morning, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said Highway 1 had opened through Abbotsford, with one eastbound lane and both westbound lanes available.
DriveBC has a list of all other road closures and reopenings.
Environment Canada issued several weather warnings on Sunday.
As of 5:30 p.m. PT Sunday, orange level rainfall warnings are in effect for Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Skagit Valley Park, the Coquihalla — Highway 5 — between Hope and Merritt, and along Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton.
Several other yellow weather warnings are also in effect, with forecasters expecting heavy rain on Vancouver Island, in parts of Metro Vancouver, and the Sea-to-Sky corridor. Meanwhile wind and winter storm warnings are in effect for the central coast, a large swath of the province's north, including Terrace, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd and Dawson Creek.
According to the agency's colour-coded warning system, yellow indicates hazardous weather that could cause moderate or localized impacts, orange alerts indicate severe weather with widespread or lasting impacts, and red alerts are reserved for extreme, potentially life-threatening events.
The weather agency is also warning of possible landslides in vulnerable areas, including on steep slopes, deforested regions and recent burn scars.
Overflow water still coming: mayor
Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens says that while floodwaters in the city have been receding, there is still overflow water coming across the border from the Nooksack River.
The city's emergency operations centre is still active, and will "continue to closely monitor" river levels and the weather in the coming days.
"Today we breathe a little easier and we are grateful to see some of the residents returning," he said.
In Chilliwack, officials have warned that local rivers are expected to swell, which may cause localized flooding, but not as much as earlier in the week.
Cut off from supplies
For some residents, flood impacts are far from over.
Abbotsford farmer Jesse Fuller says his family has been trapped on their property for nearly two days after floodwaters cut off road access.
“Our access is totally cut off by this, the road being flooded over,” Fuller said. “On top of that, we’re still another three to four feet deep just to get up our driveway to the farm.”
Fuller said he has been using a fishing boat to leave the property and pick up supplies.
Abbotsford farmer Jesse Fuller has been using a paddle to move a small boat through floodwaters near his property in Sumas Prairie on Saturday, after access roads were cut off by rising water. (Radio-Canada)
“It’s what we have to do so we can stay fed.”
His property is located within an evacuation zone, but Fuller says he can’t leave.
“There’s my wife, three little kids, horses and other animals with us,” he said. “You don’t leave your animals.”
North of Highway 1, residents have also been surveying the damage. Teresa Vogel went to Delair Park on Saturday after floodwaters surrounded the baseball diamond where her son plays.
Vogel said it was devastating and she was shocked to see the baseball diamond surrounded by water.
"I can't believe I was walking on that field months ago, and now you can't even go down there," she told The Canadian Press. "When we got the news that it was flooded here at Delair, it was shocking, more shocking when you come and see it in person."
Nearby resident Cindy Braun said seeing floodwaters over the highway brought back memories of the devastating floods in 2021.
“We said, ‘Oh brother, not again,’” she said. “That one was much worse, but it’s still scary watching the water rise.”
WATCH: B.C. closes highways amid concerns of landslides and washouts
This article was originally published for CBC News. With files from Radio-Canada's Benoit Ferradini and The Canadian Press.