1 year later, British Columbians who lost everything reflect on devastating floods

John Jongema's house is habitable again, but he is not getting rid of the fifth-wheel trailer he moved onto his farmland to ride out the rebuild anytime soon.

"I'm keeping that trailer as a getaway," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Jongema, who lives on a hobby farm on the Sumas Prairie about 90 kilometres east of Vancouver, is one of nearly 20,000 people in the southern part of British Columbia forced from their homes a year ago after record-breaking rains caused catastrophic flooding. 

The relentless rain came via an atmospheric river — an airborne stream of water vapour across the Pacific that originated in the subtropics. It triggered fatal mudslides, damaged critical highway infrastructure and called into question responsibility for flood mitigation in a province repeatedly pummeled by the impacts of climate change.

Jongema and his wife were out of town on Nov. 15, 2021, when the Nooksack River in Washington state breached a dike and flooded B.C. farms. Their adult son Jordan was house-sitting and had to be rescued by boat after the water rose higher than the light switches.

 "It was really traumatic," said Jongema. "He was practically floating."

The Jongema's are home for Christmas after spending about $250,000 to rebuild. The federal government disaster program contributed $88,000. Their insurance company coughed up $7,000, and they raised the rest. 

"I'm actually afraid of losing everything we've invested in … what if it floods again?" asked Jongema.

WATCH | CBC meteorologist explains an atmospheric river:

For thousands of years, Sumas Lake was one of the defining features of B.C.'s Fraser Valley. But about 100 years ago, it was drained to make way for farming and residential lands.

When the torrential rains hit and the Nooksack River overflowed its banks, residents living on the Sumas Prairie near Abbotsford, B.C., where the lake used to be, watched it nearly come back as floodwater threatened to shut down the local pumping station — a disaster that was narrowly averted by volunteers pitching in to help emergency crews.

Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said last week it had been an emotional year for many B.C. farmers who lost a total of 630,000 chickens, 420 cattle and 12,000 hogs during the extreme weather event.

Dave Martens, whose farm in Abbotsford is smack in the middle of the Sumas Prairie, had 40,000 chickens perish in his barn. He is trying to get up and running again, but supply chain issues and expenses are hampering progress.

Martens said Popham's ministry offered some financial support, but he worries about people in the community who don't farm and are not eligible for that help.