Expected pump station failure in Abbotsford, B.C., prompts urgent warning to residents under evacuation orders

Officials in Abbotsford, B.C., have issued an urgent warning to residents under an evacuation order in the Sumas Prairie that "catastrophic" flooding is expected in the area.

Officials in Abbotsford, B.C., have issued an urgent warning to residents under an evacuation order in the Sumas Prairie that "catastrophic" flooding is expected in the area.

The city sounded the alarm Tuesday night that the Barrowtown Pump Station is at risk of being overwhelmed, which would see even more water flow into the already flooded Sumas Prairie.

"You need to leave immediately," Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun urged residents at an emergency news conference at 9 p.m. "If you can't leave, please call 911 for support."

Water is also flowing down from Sumas Mountain, exacerbating an already challenging situation, according to officials.

First responders believe there are many people who remain in the evacuated area, including an unconfirmed number who require water rescue due to previous flooding from the intense storm that bombarded the province on Sunday and Monday.

The city described the Barrowtown Pump Station as a "critical piece of infrastructure" preventing Sumas Lake from reforming, and said the failure of even one of its four pumps would result in quickly rising water levels in the Sumas Prairie, which has been under an evacuation order since Tuesday morning.

Braun said Abbotsford's engineering team is working hard to keep the pump station operational, but that there's no telling how long they will be able to sustain it.