La Press in British Columbia | “I do not see the worst that can happen”

(Abbotsford) Despite continued heavy rains in Fraser Valley, residents received the rare good news on Thursday: the water had not begun to rise again and some roads may have reopened. But no one wants to be happy, while nature does not say its last word.

Eric-Pierre Champagne
Press

Martin Tremble
Press

“As you can imagine, today’s weather event and two other events coming up were the focus of our concerns,” Abbotsford Mayor Henry Brown said during his conference on Thursday.

After the incident, the 71-year-old hurried out of his small room in City Hall to return to work. “His schedule is very busy at the moment,” his press officer confirms.

The weather forecast for the next few days is the main discussion. Press. As he passed his Golden Retriever in the rain, Leslie Stotler admitted that he was anxiously waiting for the next few days.

Environment Canada expects a third atmospheric river to cross as of Monday, again causing a lot of damage in the region.

I could not get out because the whole street here was flooded last week.

Abbotsford resident Leslie Stadler

However, he says he is luckier than his neighbor. “We had water in the basement, but the others were completely submerged.”

If the water recedes from this area called Claibern, traces of the disaster will still be visible as it passes. Press. There were still bundles of sand in front of many of the properties, some torn apart by the passing water.

Only one piece left

On a few more streets, Brock Richie was posing as a philosopher, taking a beer in his hand in front of his flooded house a few days ago. “This is the family home I bought 12 years ago. There has never been a flood here, and there is occasionally no water on the ground. ”

Inside, there is only one room left, and he opens the door to show his living room where a large fan rests on the plywood. “I had a wonderful wooden floor and I had to remove everything.”

Is he afraid of heavy rain in the coming days?

In the Sumas plain, only a few roads are open, which shows the extent of the damage. Many more fields are flooded. In places, you can see torn pieces of asphalt in the middle of a field. Reconstruction in the Fraser Valley, especially for farmers and agriculturists, will take a long time.

Earlier this week, the mayor of Abbotsford admitted that some people may be discouraged by the size of the work and put their farm up for sale. “Their whole lives were destroyed. ”

Concerns about water quality

Apart from toilets, authorities are still concerned about the quality of water in some areas where use is prohibited. Thousands of dead animals have not yet been removed, which should include flooded vehicles and farm machinery. The analysis is ongoing, we say.

A few hours ago, authorities reopened the Trans-Canada Highway to Silivak, about thirty kilometers north. This is rare good news because it makes travel in the region easier. However, secondary roads have been closed and many police checkpoints have not yet been cleared.

However, further north, provincial transportation minister Rob Fleming said Thursday that it would be necessary to wait until January to reopen the Coquihalla Highway.

The storm is expected

Mayor Henry Brown is waiting for the next storm, which will receive 80 mm of rain next Tuesday, according to Environment Canada forecasts.

He says he hopes the reinforced dykes around Abbotsford will prevent further flooding during Thursday and Saturday storms, but worries about a third episode planned for next week, especially since it could bring more rain than it caused flooding.

“We are closely monitoring the size of the Nuxak and Sumas rivers,” he stressed. At this point, we are still heading in the right direction. But, it takes several weeks for that water to drain completely. “