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Abbotsford not yet in danger of major 2018 flood: mayor

Water not forecast to threaten dike protections, but city keeping eye on situation
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Carey Point along the Fraser River in Chilliwack in the morning of May 10, 2018. (Paul Henderson/ The Progress)

Communities in the Interior have seen severe flooding, but forecasts for the Fraser River don’t predict the water will rise near the top of Abbotsford’s dikes.

A forecast from earlier this week predicted the river would top out around 6.64 metres at the Mission Bridge next Tuesday. That’s more than two metres short of the design level of the dikes that protect the city from rising waters.

“That should give some comfort to people,” Mayor Henry Braun said. Some localized flooding may occur in properties not protected by the city’s staff, but Braun said that “for the rest of Abbotsford, I think things are going to be OK.”

The city is posting regular updates on its website, at Abbotsford.ca.

In Chilliwack, residents of three properties outside that city’s dikes have been evacuated.

And to the west, in Langley, evacuation alerts are in effect for parts of the Glen Valley, along with Brae and McMillan islands.