A semi-truck crosses a flooded street in Abbotsford B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
The mayor of flood-struck Abbotsford, B.C., says he is “disappointed and frustrated” with the federal government over “inaction” on cross-border flooding that has repeatedly inundated his city.
Ross Siemens said he had not been contacted by the federal government about this week’s flooding that has forced hundreds of households to evacuate, while inundating poultry barns and forcing livestock relocations.
Siemens told a news briefing on Friday that he was pleading for flood mitigation to be addressed, and authorities across the border in Washington state also needed to “wake up” and for the issue to be part of an international treaty.
Flooding can result in the Fraser Valley when the Nooksack River in Washington overflows its banks, as it did on Wednesday, sending water pouring north and potentially inundating the farmlands of the Sumas Prairie.
That happened in 2021, during floods that caused billions in damages north of the border, and again this week, although to a lesser extent.
Environment Canada said in a special weather statement on Friday that light rain was expected to intensify overnight. It said up to 40 millimetres is possible, before another system moves in Saturday night followed by a “potentially significant” push of rain Monday and beyond.
Here is a look at some scenes from areas impacted by the flooding.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.
A building surrounded by water is pictured in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA rabbit emerges from a flooded field in Abbotsford B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsVehicles move through a flooded street in Abbotsford B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA man walks his dog by a flooded street in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsBuildings on Jem Farms flooded near the Sumas border crossing in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA man rides on a fork lift to save equipment at Enviro-Corp Recycling which flooded near the Sumas border crossing in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA toy vehicle floats through floodwaters near the Sumas border crossing in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsChickens are pictured on a property surrounded by floodwaters in Abbotsford B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsFloodwaters surround houses in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA car surrounded by floodwaters is pictured in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA car crosses a flooded street in Abbotsford B.C., on Thursday, December 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsFloodwaters surround a house in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsFloodwaters surround an intersection of road and train tracks in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA table and bin is caught in a field after flooding in Abbotsford, B.C., Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsFloodwaters surround train tracks in Abbotsford, B.C., Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA road is covered by floodwaters in Abbotsford, B.C., Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsTrash bins are caught in a field after flooding in Abbotsford, B.C., Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsHighway 1 is pictured covered by floodwaters in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsFloodwaters surround a house and vehicles in Abbotsford B.C., Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA truck passes through a flooded street in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA Highway 1 speed limit sign pokes out from the floodwaters in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA man paddles past a sunken vehicle along Highway 1 in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan CairnsA tractor drives through floodwaters in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
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