As floodwaters pass through Ferndale, this business owner plays the waiting game
When Alyssa Springs checked the Nooksack River Monday evening, Nov. 15, outside her business in the Carnation building in Ferndale, she was relieved that flooding hadn’t hit that part of town and was hoping water levels would start going down because it had stopped raining.
At 4 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, something woke her up and she looked online for updates. She quickly learned what other residents of past Whatcom County floods had experienced: Floodwaters in areas like Everson and Sumas eventually mean trouble for Ferndale.
Springs, who owns Flow Motion yoga and spa, was back at her business at 5:30 a.m. to find the floodwaters around the building, which is on Main Street near the bridge. Others would arrive to see how bad things were getting, some helping with sandbags while others were getting stuck, eventually needing their vehicles towed. Later that morning the city began issuing evacuation notices for the Riverwalk area. Springs even noticed an animal, perhaps an otter, swimming up Main Street.
Even though some long-time residents thought this could happen, it was still shocking for Springs to see it in the morning.
“It’s already been a tough year for business, but I feel grateful to have survived to this point,” said Springs in an interview later in the morning. She was in Bellingham, waiting to see what would happen.
By Tuesday afternoon Ferndale city officials announced the Nooksack River had crested, but Main Street remained closed because of the flooding. Officials were also asking for volunteers and donations for nearby shelters that were being set up.
For Springs, much of Tuesday was spent playing the waiting game. Her business, which includes a Himalayan salt cave, is on the second floor of the building. Extra salt and and salt lamps were on the first floor, however, and having that salt wash away would be another blow to the business.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the water had not reached the first floor of the Carnation building. While the river had crested, there was still concern about a rising evening tide leading to another surge.
“So far we are very, very lucky that the water has stayed just below the floor of the building,” Springs said in a Facebook post update.
By Wednesday morning, Nov. 17, Springs said the situation had drastically improved. The water on the section of Main Street near the Carnation building had receded, and she was even able to find her sidewalk signs — one had floated down Hovander Road and the other was damaged, but repairable.
“All-in-all, the businesses in my building are all feeling very lucky today. There is some damage outside the building, but all fixable,” Springs said.
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
