By Jesse Winter

ABBOTSFORD (British Columbia) – A Canadian town was able to avoid flooding on Thursday when the British Columbia province faced what an expert called the worst natural disaster in its history.

After a string of flooding and mudslides caused damage to roads, bridges and houses, more than 18,000 were left homeless.

Premier John Horgan, who declared an emergency Wednesday, said that the death toll from one confirmed fatality would likely increase.

The city of Abbotsford was located east of Vancouver and feared that the water would overflow their pump station, forcing them to evacuate all of its 160,000 inhabitants.

On Wednesday evening, however, Henry Braun, the mayor of Chicago said that things had improved.

He told reporters that water levels had continued to decline throughout the day. There is a recovery. While we remain focused on getting out the people, and protecting them from harm, recovery is coming.

CTV reported that residents of Merritt were cut off almost for four days and their water levels are starting to fall.

Emergency workers managed to open the narrow Hope Road to Hope late Wednesday night. It had been closed since Sunday. The provincial government stated that the road will be reopened once people have left.

Enda Brrophy from Simon Fraser University was one of those that managed to escape.

“If we can learn anything from this experience it is that we are severely underprepared to deal with the coming environmental disasters. He said that we can’t even cope with what is already happening.”

The province may begin to repair the infrastructure once the flood waters recede.

“Easily the most expensive natural catastrophe in Canadian history. Blake Shaffer from the University of Calgary, an economist and specialist in climate policies tweeted that it was not even close.

Wildfires in Alberta’s Fort McMurray, an oil-producing area of Alberta in May 2016, were the most costly natural disaster in Canada. C$3.6 billion was the cost of insured losses.

Ottawa promises hundreds of Air Force personnel to British Columbia. Thousands more are available on the standby.