Abbotsford declares state of local emergency amidst flooding, evacuations, road closures (PHOTOS)

Nov 15 2021, 5:57 pm

Following record-breaking rain and flooding, the City of Abbotsford declared a state of local emergency that will last for at least a week.

An update from the City says that localized emergencies were caused by extreme rainfall.

There have been evacuation orders and alerts in place, as well as road closures due to flooding and mudslides.

Constable Paul Walker with Abbotsford Police told Daily Hive that “various AbbyPD resources are deployed across the city in a road closure capacity, assisting with evacuations if required, as well as checking in with our unsheltered population, offering assistance where required.”

Walker encourages residents to check Abbotsford Police’s Twitter where they release information as soon as it’s available.

Right now, the City of Abbotsford has issued an Evacuation Order for 35259 Straiton Road pertaining to units #8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Residents are encouraged to go to the Emergency Operations Centre.

“I’m not aware of any major injuries, but rather only some minor injuries from car crashes within the city,” said Walker.

All schools in Abbotsford are open, the school district confirmed on Twitter Monday morning.

Metro Vancouver is still expecting heavy rain Monday, and Abbotsford drivers should expect delays and road closures.

Residents are asked to plan ahead if they need to travel and to check nearby storm drains to clear them of debris. If locals need sandbags, they can bring a shovel and fill them up at the City of Abbotsford Works Yard.

On Twitter, users shared images and videos showing snapshots of flooding in their neighbourhoods:

Wind and rainfall warnings are still in effect for the Fraser Valley, according to Environment Canada. Central and Easter Fraser Valley received 200 mm of rain already this weekend and another 50 mm are on the way today.

Sarah AndersonSarah Anderson

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