Evacuation alerts for more than 1,000 properties in Abbotsford, B.C., have been lifted as floodwaters recede, with a vital stretch of highway reopening.
On Saturday evening, Abbotsford said 1,069 properties in Sumas Prairie West and Sumas Prairie East were no longer under evacuation alert.
People living on another 160 properties have been allowed to return home, with evacuation orders downgraded to an alert. That includes most properties in the western portion of the evacuation order area up to Angus Campbell Road, including Huntingdon Village. Some properties north of Highway 1 are also included in the downgrade.
Evacuation orders remain in place for 325 properties throughout Sumas Prairie.
In addition to ending the alerts for some properties, the city says staff and Canada Task Force 1 conducted rapid damage assessments on homes impacted by the flooding to ensure residents could return safely.
Of the properties in the area downgraded, 32 homes were assessed as green, meaning re-entry was allowed at the owners’ discretion if the building is not located in an evacuation order area. One property was also assessed as yellow, in which access is restricted depending on varying conditions. No homes were given a red assessment, which would have barred entry unless authorization was granted.
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A portion of Highway 1, the main highway linking B.C.’s South Coast to the rest of Canada, has also reopened, according to the B.C. government.
The province said Saturday evening that drivers travelling westbound through the Abbotsford area can remain on Highway 1, avoiding a detour via Highway 7.
According to a notice, crews have reopened the two westbound lanes of that stretch of highway, which has been closed between Highway 11 and No. 3 Road.
The eastbound lanes of the highway remain closed, the province said, with crews set to reassess the road at first light. Those travelling this stretch will be required to continue using a detour via Highway 7. The Ministry of Transportation and Transit says it will reopen these lanes once it is safe to do so.
While evacuation alerts and orders in Abbotsford are being rescinded or downgraded, other parts of the region are still dealing with the impacts of flooding.
B.C. Emergency Management Minister Kelly Green recently said about 450 properties have been evacuated province-wide, with the majority in Abbotsford.
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