Cleanup is underway near Pemberton after flooding and mudslides this past weekend.
One of the hardest hit areas was the small community of Birken, northeast of Pemberton.
No injuries have been reported so far, but significant property damage was sustained and several roads were impacted.
An evacuation order issued for six properties near Birken was lifted on Tuesday, and the road has now reopened to single-lane alternating traffic, allowing some residents to return home. BC Hydro crews were also able to restore power to the affected communities late in the afternoon on Monday.
As life slowly returns to normal for most in the region, the focus has turned to fundraising for victims of the slides. A Birken Slide Relief Fund has been established at Scotia Bank, and the Pemberton Community Centre and the local RONA are accepting donations.
“We’re never going home again”
The hardest hit property belonged to Rob and Erin Elliott, and their young son River.
They had lived in Birken for years and had slowly developed an expansive property that supported both themselves, and the local community.
“Been working steadily on it for 14 years,” said Rob. A guest cabin, several outbuildings, a 80-foot-long greenhouse, hundreds of fruit trees, dozens of ducks.
All gone.
“It was a beautiful park-like setting everywhere, we could just lie out in the grass, in the clover. And that’s buried under 15 feet of rock and debris now.”
Virtually the entire property and all of their possessions were destroyed in the slide, but the family is hopeful they can continue their life in the region.
“I love it here, I want to stay in the area for sure. I really fell in love with the area, it’s so peaceful. Most people are in this area because of the outdoor beauty, the recreation. That said, we lost all of it.”
But that recovery will be difficult. Their insurance company, the Co-operators Group Limited, denied their entire claim.
“I was under the impression that we only had partial coverage in the event of those things, but I thought we had coverage for our possessions,” said Rob, who added the final letter from the co-operative was short and terse.
“We don’t appear to quality for any of that. I’m very much not a confrontational person. I’m a bridge-building person, a peaceful resolution person, and I was pretty surprised by how callous the process was.”
An online fundraiser has also been set up and can be accessed here.
For now, the family is thankful they had already evacuated the area by the time of the mudslide, and thankful for the support of the local community.
“Our community is so amazing,” said Rob, whose family has already received over $20,000 in donations.
“This is a new beginning. That’s the only thing we can look at is, is a new beginning.”
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