Despite the City of Abbotsford’s decision to rescind its flood evacuation alert for residents in Glen Valley on Thursday, the Township of Langley is taking a cautious approach.
The flood evacuation alert for unprotected areas of Northwest Langley, Glen Valley and Brae and McMillan Islands will stay in effect through the weekend, as the Fraser River levels are forecast to remain between 5.8 and 6.0 metres at the Mission Gauge, said Roeland Zwaag, Township director of public works.
READ MORE: Evacuation alert rescinded for Glen Valley
“Any kind of fluctuation in that (water level) could lead to potential road closures and private properties flooding and more,” Zwaag told the Times.
“So yes, even though the forecast looks good … there is some rain that could be coming in on the weekend and it could increase the levels somewhat, so we just wanted to play more on the side of caution and plan for the worst, and we will reconsider next week.”
The evacuation alert was originally issued on May 15, after Fraser River levels at the Mission Gauge reached 5.5 metres. Hundreds of community members, including students from several Langley students, spent last week sandbagging vulnerable areas of the Katzie and Kwantlen First Nation lands in preparation for potential flooding.
READ MORE: Army of students help Katzie, Kwantlen First Nation prepare for floods
READ MORE: Flood album
miranda@langleytimes.com
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