City of Abbotsford lifts evacuation alerts for 1,069 properties in Sumas Prairie

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Improved conditions have led the City of Abbotsford to lift evacuation alerts for 1,069 properties in Sumas Prairie West and Sumas Prairie East, as well as downgrade 160 other properties from evacuation order to evacuation alert.

The changes were announced by the city in a press release on Saturday (Dec. 13) evening.

Evacuation orders are still in place for 325 properties in the Sumas Prairie area.

For an interactive map with all the details, click anywhere in this sentence.

According to the city, rapid damage assessments were done on homes observed to be impacted by the floodwaters in the lifted evacuation order area city staff staff and Canada Task Force 1 to ensure that people returning home can do so safely. RDA’s 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. Homes that required assessment have a placard to advise them of their assessment results and where to call for additional support should it be required. Placard categories include:

Green: Re-entry permitted, at your discretion, if the building is not located within an evacuation order area.

Yellow: Access is restricted subject to varying conditions. Further information is provided on the placard.

Red: Do not enter the building unless authorization has been granted by the appropriate authorities.

Of the properties downgraded from an evacuation order to an evacuation alert that required a RDA, 32 homes were assessed as green, one home was assessed as yellow and no homes were assessed as red. Only the outer structure of homes were assessed, not the inside or other buildings on the property, such as sheds or barns. Upon returning home, residents may want to have their home and other structures further assessed with support of their insurer.

In other news, the Abbotsford Police Department shared that portions of Highway 1 were opened up on Saturday evening. The Whatcom Road exit westbound is now open, however eastbound remains closed for the time being.

An estimate on the opening of the eastbound section of the Highway was not available. Highway 3 between Hope and Manning Park also remains closed due to debris on the roadway.

Continue visiting abbynews.com for ongoing updates during this flood event.