Abbotsford opens evacuee reception centre, declares 'high alert' after floods and mudslides displace residents

The City of Abbotsford has opened an emergency operations centre for residents displaced from their homes by multiple mudslides and flooding "in many areas within the city" on Sunday evening.

The city said all its emergency services are responding to what has been declared a "high" level of alert.

"Various small mud slides and localized flooding have occurred in many areas within the City," the city said on its website Sunday evening. "All City resources are currently engaged in mitigating these emergencies including Abbotsford Police, Fire Rescue, Engineering and Public works."

The city's emergency centre for anyone displaced is located in the Abbotsford Recreation Centre, at 2499 McMillan Road.

"For any residents displaced due to the flooding and/or landslide events currently occurring in the City ... if you are unable to return home or have been evacuated from your home, please head to the ARC for assistance and shelter," the city said.

As a result of the floods and mudslides, Abbotsford's website also lists multiple roadways it has closed to motorists, including parts of Wright Street, Gladwin Street, Dawson, Whatcom, Cranberry Court, and Briarwood Place.

"Please avoid these areas if possible," the city stated. "Please do not attempt to travel past any of these closures. If you do not need to leave your home, please stay home."

The city's police department said Sunday evening that no one has yet been reported injured, and urged the public to call 9-1-1 for emergencies related to flooding or mudslides.

The rain-related emergencies came after provincial authorities issued a flood watch Sunday afternoon for the entire Fraser Valley region, including areas around Hope, B.C. There were also higher-level flood warnings issued for the areas around the Tulameen River west of Princeton, B.C., as well as the Coldwater River near Brookmere, B.C.

A flood watch means residents should be on alert for rising river levels, while a flood warning means river water has breached culverts and flooding will result.

The flooding comes after Environment and Climate Change Canada issued rainfall warnings Sunday for most of the southern half of the province. 

Officials with the B.C. Rain Forecast Centre say they are closely monitoring the river levels around areas of concern like Vancouver Island, the Fraser Valley and Hope.

Drivers are being asked to avoid any unnecessary travel in B.C. after rainstorms led to mudslides and multiple highway closures throughout the province.

According to DriveBC, a mudslide just after the Great Bear Snowshed poured over the southbound lanes of the Coquihalla with rocky debris covering the road.