Unlike the rain in Spain, our rain did not stay mainly on the plain. Instead, it
poured down in an unbroken deluge for days. It fell on land that just a short time ago was in a dire drought situation. Before that had come the fires that exhausted hundreds of weary firefighters.
When the rains came there was a brief moment of gratitude for the precious heavenly liquid. But it couldn’t seem to stop.
Until the mountains started to give way under the pressure. Then suddenly there were major landslides. Nature didn’t care that vehicles and people were trapped in these. Too bad.
Too much water!
It was only on the third day, close to nightfall that they were finally plucked out of their misery by helicopter.
There are still undiscovered victims of the day the mountains fell on them. It is a sad, awful time for their loved ones.
The flooding began almost simultaneously. No favouritism with Mother Nature. A community of 7500 folks was forced out of their homes when flooding up to their windows began, and their water treatment facility failed.
Other communities are in a horribly similar situation.
Finally, the coup de gráce. Sumas prairie in Abbotsford flooded. It was built hundreds of years ago on what used to be a lake bed. Miles and miles of lush farms are there today.
Poultry farms, dairy farms, and all kind of other farms. Of course there has been a certain amount of flooding in the past. The resourceful farmers though have developed sophisticated drainage, and it seemed to work. They also have a very strong 4-pump station at Barrowtown. There was fear the pumps would fail after the Nooksack River in USA flooded and burst its banks, adding to the enormous amount of water. That night 300 volunteers turned out and built an enormous sandbag wall, 40’ long and 8’ high to protect the pump house.
Coping and helping each other
The misery continues.
At this time there are 400 military personnel flown in from Ontario to help rebuild, even though the disaster is not anywhere near finished. Another 4000 military are on standby. We in BC are wondering when and how this will end.
December 1, 2021
Thank goodness for the hundreds of military, who have lent their expertise and strong backs to helping build of massive barriers against the flood waters. Thousands of farmers and home owners in our province are reeling as they try to cope with the massive scale of this disaster.
Today is no better, so far, although the weather forecast indicates we should get a small lull in the rain later on. As I write this it’s 6.15 am, so it's still pitch dark.I detest these short dark days of winter. It’s important to try and hold on to whatever bright spots you can find. At this time of year my thoughts go to the 21st of this month, the shortest day of the year.
After that, theoretically it’s all upward with the days getting longer. Isn’t it? Just seconds, but I’ll take all I can get! Then we get to look forward to Spring, and try to live through the bitter cold days of winter. Call it the yin and yang of the year. No good without the bad.
It’s not as if the awful weather-caused tragedies are all you have to be concerned about. It turns out yesterday a case of the new coronavirus was determined in our province. That leads to new restrictions and rules to observe.
Many main highways and roads are still in a state of mind-numbing disrepair. It is going to be a lengthy and difficult task to make it all right again. Much of that seems impossible at this time. Folks have lost generations of hard work on their farms. It’s a shocker to know how quickly everything you thought you had can disappear in a flash.