Abbotsford's Police Chief Mike Serr had some strong words for people kayaking through "toxic" flood waters as emergency responders try to help those in need.
Four youths were kayaking through flooded areas, which were subject to evacuation orders, and needed to be rescued by Abbotsford Police on Tuesday.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, Serr was visibly frustrated by those actions and said people have to understand that the water is not safe.
We can't stress this enough. Please stay out of evacuated areas. AbbyPD officers just rescued 4 youths who were kayaking in evacuated areas with rising swift water. This greatly hampers emergency response times for people needing it most.pic.twitter.com/Icff2tfUZi
— Abbotsford Police Department (@AbbyPoliceDept) 1637103171
He said: "We actually had a call yesterday where, you know, people were yelling at our officers again because they were told to stop kayaking.
"This is toxic water. This water has been leaching in from all the different areas. We don't have a full assessment yet of just how bad, but assume that this water is not something that you want your children in a kayak or you want to be swimming or wading in."
Serr said that the water can rush in quickly and that pictures of people in kayaks on flood water was "completely inappropriate".
He added: "We appreciate that you want to see what's happening and things like that, but we need you to stay away. We need you to allow the workers, the rescuers to be out there doing what they need to do.
"It's unsafe and you're putting you and your family at risk when you're doing things like that."
At a press conference Tuesday night in Abbotsford, Mayor Henry Braun told farmers to leave their animals behind as flood waters continued to rise.
Abbotsford is one of the harder-hit areas of B.C. right now, with toxic smoke blowing across the city from a fire involving 100 RV's and flood waters turning Highway 1 into a river.
This article’s right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
A Police Chief In BC Just Went Off At People Who Are Kayaking In The Floods
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