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Why Abbotsford, BC faces crushing floodwaters
Episode 416

Why Abbotsford, BC faces crushing floodwaters

A little more than a century ago, Abbotsford's Sumas Prairie was actually Sumas Lake. It might be about to return to that state, as massive storms, lake overflows and a pumping station threaten to fill the plains once again, covering homes, fields, crops, cattle and any humans who failed to heed the evacuation order. Why did Sumas Lake become Sumas Prairie in the first place? How did the complex conditions around Abbotsford combine to create a potentially lethal danger? How has it (so far) been averted? And what is it like living in and reporting on British Columbia, a province that is quickly becoming the front line of the climate crisis? GUEST: Tyler Olsen, Managing Editor, Fraser Valley Current

The Big Story

November 18, 202126m 58s

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Show Notes

A little more than a century ago, Abbotsford's Sumas Prairie was actually Sumas Lake. It might be about to return to that state, as massive storms, lake overflows and a pumping station threaten to fill the plains once again, covering homes, fields, crops, cattle and any humans who failed to heed the evacuation order.

Why did Sumas Lake become Sumas Prairie in the first place? How did the complex conditions around Abbotsford combine to create a potentially lethal danger? How has it (so far) been averted? And what is it like living in and reporting on British Columbia, a province that is quickly becoming the front line of the climate crisis?

GUEST: Tyler Olsen, Managing Editor, Fraser Valley Current

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