‘Awful cleanup’ ahead for poultry farmers in Abbotsford from flooding, says Eby

Article content

VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby got a first-hand look at the “devastating” flooding in the Fraser Valley from a series of storms that swamped homes and farms and forced hundreds off their land.

Article content

Eby said on Tuesday he met with Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens and some of the affected farmers at the Barrowtown Pump Station, the same infrastructure that failed in 2021 causing catastrophic flooding in the valley.

Article content

Article content

“We weren’t even able to visit the worst-affected farm,” Eby said during an unrelated news conference in Vancouver.

Article content

Article content

He said a poultry farmer showed him photos of the damage that left “piles of muck and a huge number of drowned birds from their chicken operation.”

Article content

Article content

“Just an awful, awful cleanup operation ahead of them and a devastating set of impacts that they’ve faced just trying to deliver their business,” said Eby.

Article content

The farmer has had three big floods within five years and now he is “seriously asking” himself whether he wants to continue, Eby said.

Article content

A string of atmospheric rivers flowed over southern B.C., pushing rivers over their banks, including the Nooksack River in Washington state, which then flowed north and was responsible for much of the damage in the Fraser Valley.

Article content

Abbotsford lifted the last of the evacuation orders late Wednesday on 11 remaining properties, but those residents will remain on evacuation alert, while evacuation alerts have been lifted for another 474 properties.

Article content

The city said it’s waiving building permit fees for owners whose properties have been affected by flooding to help reduce some financial strain and speed rebuilding.

Article content

Several B.C. mayors have criticized the federal government for not following through on its promise to prevent flooding after the 2021 storms, which could have mitigated damages from the latest weather event.

Article content

Article content

Eby said the latest shut down of Highway 1 shows that the federal government needs to protect B.C.’s infrastructure if it’s going to advance trade.

Article content

“I’m glad they are freshly invigorated on this, and we’re going to be looking to them for support, not just on that section but also on other connecting corridors for trade in the province,” said Eby.

Article content

The Ministry of Transportation said Wednesday that Highway 3, a major route linking the Lower Mainland to Alberta, is damaged by the storm in 22 locations between Hope to Princeton and its unclear when it will reopen.

Article content

“The damage includes five culvert failures resulting in partial road washouts,” the ministry statement said. “These sites require excavation and full culvert replacement.”

Article content

The repairs have been further challenged by ongoing harsh weather, with a snowfall warning in effect Wednesday due to a system that also brought heavy rain and high winds across southern B.C.

Article content

BC Hydro said in a statement that the wind storm knocked out power for about 120,000 customers, mostly in the Lower Mainland. But by 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, about three-quarters of the customers had their electricity back.