Four people, including one in a wheelchair, had to be rescued from a flooded house surrounded by rushing water on Monday morning, Jan. 12.
The property near the junction of 224 Street and 132 Avenue flooded rapidly in the latest atmospheric river to drench the Lower Mainland.
Melanie Brooks had moved into the property as a tenant in April, and was shocked by the rising water. At about 5:30 a.m. she looked outside to see water on the property was up to the doors on her car, and almost at the deck.
“I knew we were in trouble,” said Brooks, who uses a wheelchair.
The water rose and was soon rushing in the door of the house. Every room would get drenched.
Her roommate Sharmaen Seekins said it was terrifying, knowing it would be impossible to safely wheel Brooks out in the strong current.
They called Maple Ridge Fire Rescue, who used a boat to rescue four people, two cats, and a dog. The firemen waded in the current, pushing and pulling the boat.
Their efforts were appreciated by the women.
“They worked their butts off,” said Brooks, noting that the current was as strong as a nearby Alouette River, and the rescuers had to control the boat.
“They were exhausted.”
The flood victims have emergency accommodation, but the condition of their house – every room flooded – leaves them uncertain they will be able to live there in the near future. They had insurance, but not flood coverage.
The relentless rain caused flooded roads, and both 224 Street and 132 Avenue were closed, and there was significant flooding on other roads, including Fern Crescent.
Julie Macmillan also lives near 224 and 132, where she runs J&M Acres Horse Rescue. In the past 30 years, she said the latest storm was one of the worst she has seen, rivalled only by an October 2025 atmospheric river that did significant damage.
Water flowing on 224 Street was “up past my knees,” Macmillan noted.
From Saturday night, Jan. 10, to Monday night, Jan. 12. 160 mm of rainfall was measured at the UBC Research Forest, noted Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekho.
Ross Davies lives on Fern Crescent, and said it was “fairly tricky driving,” with a stream flowing down the pavement.
He said Hennipen Stream, which originates near the horse corral in Golden Ears Provincial Park, breached its banks and ran down the road. It was threatening his neighbour’s house on Fern, but city crews arrived in time to create a sandbag berm and divert the stream away from the residence.
“It’s good the rain stopped when it did, because it was getting a little crazy,” Davies said.
He is also a spokesperson for the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society (KEEPS), and noted the fish fence in Kanaka Creek was battered by a fallen tree carried onto it by the current, and that will have to be removed.
The city is still assessing damage.
City crews worked through the night during the peak of the event, according to city spokesperson Pardeep Purewal.
Initial observations indicate damage primarily to road shoulders and paving, new potholes, downed trees, and debris left behind.
The city monitored river levels, deployed pumps in priority areas, and responded to incidents as needed, she said.
The city also provided updates on weather conditions, river levels, road closures, safety messaging, and available resources through multiple communications channels.
The city had a complaint regarding the lack of sandbags available at Maple Ridge Park.
Since the start of the extreme weather season, the city has provided close to 10,000 sandbags to residents for flood mitigation efforts. During this most recent storm, the city announced sandbags were available by pickup from the operations centre.
Purewal said this change was made to better manage distribution, ensuring availability for residents in flood-prone areas, and to prevent stock depletion – which occurred during a previous event when large quantities were taken, which reduced availability for some in great need.