On Tuesday afternoon, officers of the Abbotsford Police launched a rescue mission for four young people who were kayaking in an evacuated area recently ravaged by a devastating flood. The said individuals had to be rescued after being trapped in “rising swift water.”
According to the police report, the four youths decided to kayak in Delair Park, one of the areas where the recent flood wreaked havoc. However, disaster struck when they reached the part of the park where the flow of water significantly changed suddenly.
Abbotsford Police Constable Paul Walker shared that the kayaking expedition that the four young individuals decided to get in on was just unthinkable. “The youths did not have life jackets in their possession and proceeded to drift east,” he related. “As they approached the Whatcom area, the flowing water changed to swift running water, resulting in the kayaks capsizing.”
Fortunately for the youths who got themselves in the kayaking fiasco, they did not sustain any injuries during their ordeal other than ending up cold, wet, and a bit shook up. Notably, thousands of residents have already been evacuated from Abbotsford due to the results of the recent flooding.
Moreover, Walker also emphasized that people should stay away from evacuated areas to keep clear from any potential life-threatening incidents. “Diverting emergency resources to deal with matters such as these takes away from our rescue operations underway in the Sumas Prairie,” the constable pointed out.
