Justin Trudeau to visit B.C.'s flood-damaged Fraser Valley as more storms approach
CBC
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will arrive in British Columbia on Friday for his first visit since record-breaking rainfall caused widespread flooding and mudslides in the province — and just as more storms are forecast to hit this weekend.
The prime minister will tour the city of Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver, which has been particularly hit hard by the floods.
Trudeau is scheduled to talk to volunteers and first responders there, along with Matsqui First Nation Chief Alice McKay, Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun, and local residents affected by the floods.
Braun, in a Friday morning news conference, said the flood zone stayed stable overnight as the Barrowtown Pump Station kept pace with the additional 50 millimetres of rain but said the city is still "very concerned" about the upcoming weather.
Braun said up to 220 millimetres of rain are expected in the city over the coming five days — 90 to 120 millimetres from Saturday to Sunday, then another 50 to 100 millimetres from Tuesday to Wednesday.
"Part of our challenge in planning for the next few days is that any additional rain we receive will be introduced into an existing flood area where waters are already high," the mayor said. "The rivers surrounding the Sumas Prairie and the ground [are] super saturated. This is a situation we have never faced before."
The initial storm last week brought 180 millimetres, but in a shorter amount of time. Since then, repairs to the main Sumas dike have been completed.
Hundreds of residents in the region, many of them ranchers and farmers, are still out of their homes because of the extensive damage.
Later on Friday, Trudeau will meet with Premier John Horgan and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth and provide updates on federal aid for the disaster.
Farnworth told a news conference on Thursday that residents in flood-prone areas of the province should be prepared for more evacuations as more storms roll in.
The first of three storms in the forecast arrived on Thursday, with another expected early Saturday and the most intense and final storm to hit land on Tuesday.
According to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, rain will be heaviest Sunday and there is potential for river flows on the South Coast to reach 10- to 50-year levels or higher Sunday or Monday.
Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove, speaking Friday morning on The Early Edition, said he is "optimistic, but a little on edge," after weathering Thursday's storm and staring down the barrel of another two.
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WARNING: This story contains references to missing and murdered Indigenous people. Resources can be found at the bottom of this story.
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