Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Abbotsford on Friday (Nov. 26) to meet with officials and tour the flood-ravaged Sumas Prairie.
Trudeau landed in a CAF Bombadier CC-144D Challenger just before 12:30 p.m. at Cascade Aerospace at the Abbotsford International Airport and then travelled to Abbotsford City Hall.
There, he met with B.C. Deputy Premier Mike Farnworth, Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun, Chief Dalton Silver of the Sumas First Nation and Chief Alice McKay of the Matsqui First Nation.
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Trudeau also visited the Emergency Operations Centre at city hall in Matsqui Centennial Auditorium.
He also met members of the Canadian Armed Forces, first responders, volunteers and workers who are supporting the local flood-relief efforts, including those who worked on repairing the damaged dikes and keeping the Barrowtown Pump Station operating.
Trudeau then visited Clayburn Village, an area on Matsqui Prairie that also saw significant flooding.
A large portion of the eastern Sumas Prairie remains under approximately seven feet of water since 180 mm of rain deluged Abbotsford over a two-day period on Nov. 14 and 15, with the Nooksack River in Washington overflowing its dikes and the Sumas diking system experiencing some breaches.
Braun has said it will take weeks for the floodwaters to be cleared, but the impact to farmers and the recovery efforts could last years.
.@JustinTrudeau meeting with @City_Abbotsford officials #Abbotsford pic.twitter.com/20lxW9DCwV
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) November 26, 2021
vhopes@abbynews.com
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