It’s been over a month since the most recent flooding submerged large portions of the Fraser Valley, and the full extent of the damage caused has only recently come to light.
Data from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. revealed that the December flooding resulted in nearly $90 million in insured damages across the province and sections of Alberta.
While this is nowhere near the $675 million in insured damages that occurred during the catastrophic 2021 floods, it still signifies that a lot of work is needed to put B.C. back together.
Most of the recent destruction was concentrated in the Fraser Valley area, with the region suffering from $74 million in damages.
Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Pacific and Western vice-president, Aaron Sutherland, said such significant impacts demonstrate the need for more government supports.
“Investing in community resilience and damage prevention is always more cost-effective than paying to rebuild year after year following every disaster,” said Sutherland.
“By prioritizing risk reduction and mitigation, the government can increase the number of homeowners that have access to flood insurance, which provides much more robust support than the government disaster assistance that high-risk homeowners are forced to rely on today.”
Similar sentiments were shared by Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens last December when he said he was “profoundly disappointed” in the lack of flood resiliency support from the federal government.
The City of Abbotsford shared that even though the area east of the city was more impacted by the recent flooding, there was still a lot of work needed to restore the low-lying areas hit throughout Abbotsford.
“The December 2025 flooding was largely concentrated on city parkland with minimal infrastructure, and as a result, damage to the city’s insured property is currently estimated at approximately $40,000,” said city staff.
“We are continuing to complete a full assessment, but recovery work is underway and is primarily road and culvert repairs.”
However, the city said the full extent of damages go beyond just the cost of replacing material goods and structures.
“Nearly 500 families were displaced, properties were damaged, farm animals were lost, and a vital section of our province’s key transportation corridor, Highway 1, was closed for three days,” said city staff.
“Emergencies like this place an immense strain on the community. This repeat flooding emphasizes why the city continues to advocate to senior government for long-term flood mitigation funding that our community, provincial food security, and provincial economy urgently need.”
According to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Hydrology, the frequency and impacts of regional flooding are only going to continue to get worse for much of southern Canada.
The study’s authors said repeated projections indicated that spring flooding would remain relatively steady in southern B.C. for the foreseeable future, but summer flooding in and around the Lower Mainland area would see a sizeable spike by 2050 and likely continue to get worse through 2080.