Abbotsford mayor provides B.C. flooding update

Abbotsford, B.C. Mayor Henry Braun provided an update as to how bad things are in his city. Braun says Abbotsford is not out of the worst parts of the flooding quite yet. He went on to say that farmers are devastated by the floods and are facing huge financial losses.

Mayor Braun added that fortunately the city’s tap water is currently safe to drink.

B.C. Premier John Horgan has requested help from the federal government as his province continues to deal with the aftermath of a storm which wiped out roadways, knocked out power and caused extensive damage to homes and businesses. Horgan officially declared a state of emergency.

Thousands of farm animals in B.C. have also died in what officials are calling an agricultural disaster. The Chicken Farmers of Canada says dozens of farms under evacuation orders in the Fraser Valley region are poultry farms. The B.C. Dairy Association says the flooding has put a strain on the industry, which is still reeling from a disastrous summer. 

The association says it is unclear how many dairy cows have died because of the floods.