TORONTO – Three days ago, when photojournalist Tom Walker decided to drive through the eight or so inches of water flooding along a Bragg Creek street, he didn’t think he’d end up stranded on the roof of his car.
Walker and his friend, Dr. Wayne Whillier, were on the way to pick up Whillier’s wife, who was recovering from surgery.
At that point in time, Bragg Creek was still under threat of major flooding.
Fearing that Whillier’s wife may soon be stranded, Walker figured he’d have no problem driving through the rushing water.
“That was a bad miscalculation,” says Walker, adding “that was the beginning of an exciting day.”
Walker says the car was picked up by the water, did two 360-degree turns and was thrown into a ditch. He and Whillier escaped through the rear car window, where they awaited rescue for two hours.
In order to secure their escape, Walker says rescue workers tied a pontoon to a 40,000 pound loader.
“The boat was dragged by the current beside the car, and we hopped into the boat and onto the shore.”
The two were driven to safety as flood waters raged through Bragg Creek.
But perhaps one of the most incredible incidents occurred later.
Standing on a bridge with a number of other citizens, Walker spotted two houses that had come loose and were floating downstream.
The houses came from “the Heron property,” which Walker says had belonged to long time residents of Bragg Creek, and had some historic significance within the community.
Walker says people were still milling about as he shouted at them to clear away. As a photojournalist who has spent his career being yelled at to leave interesting places, the irony wasn’t lost on him.
“Well, I’m gonna be a hypocrite,” he remembers thinking.
Shortly after, the flooding water propelled the house into the bridge.
“It took the house about three seconds to be completely disintegrated, there was the sound of smacking and breaking of wood… it was like a 30′ by 40′ structure going into an oversize blender.”
All that was left of the house was debris, and a single washer or dryer (he couldn’t tell which) bobbing to the surface.
Three days later, Whillier’s wife is safe, and Walker says the water level in Bragg Creek is at 20 per cent of what it once was.
As for his car?
“It’s a total write-off,” says Walker.
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