THE City of Abbotsford says that as of Saturday morning, the floodwaters in Abbotsford continued to gradually recede with some areas seeing significant improvement. There is still overflow water coming across the border from the Nooksack River, but the amount of water is slowly decreasing.

Highway 1 remains closed and drivers are asked not to attempt to bypass flooded areas using side roads. Those are also flooded and you will get stuck trying to back out. There is currently no way through Abbotsford to Chilliwack or eastern parts of the province. Monitor DriveBC for all of the latest road conditions.

Evacuation Orders remain in place for 460 properties with 82 in Huntingdon Village, 371 in Sumas Prairie West and 7 north of Highway 1 near Parallel Marketplace. Evacuation alerts remain in place for 1,069 properties in Sumas Prairie East and Sumas Prairie West. An interactive map remains up to date at www.abbotsford.ca so residents can use the search function to confirm whether their property is impacted.

Work is underway with the City’s  Return Home Plan to support residents who are under an evacuation order to return home as quickly as possible. Rapid damage assessments have started with the support of staff and Canada Task Force 1. These assessments advise whether or not the structure of a home is safe to re-enter or if additional work is required before it is safe to do so. Each home will have a placard on the door to advise them of their assessment results and where to call for additional support should it be required. These are an important step in determining when evacuation orders can be lifted.

The Emergency Operations Centre remains active and staff will continue closely monitoring river levels, dikes, and roads. The City is also closely monitoring upcoming weather conditions with more rain to come.