As Sumas deals with a major flood, residents nervously shelter in place
As water poured into the downtown district of Sumas Sunday night into Monday morning, it quickly became clear to many residents, cut off from the rest of Whatcom County, that sheltering in place was the best option.
Nicole Postma and her husband, Jason, were doing just that late Monday morning, Nov. 15, at their home, but they were worried about what would happen next. By 11 a.m. her car outside her home was nearly submerged, with water levels up to the windshield. The garage was already flooded and the power was out, but fortunately, the two-story house was on slightly higher ground. While safe inside her home, she knew that more rain and river water from Johnson Creek and the Sumas River would be arriving later in the afternoon.
A nearby creek took on the look of a raging river, with large logs floating on by.
“We knew that the flood was imminent, but had no idea it would be like this,” said Nicole Postma, who owns the Loca Mocha coffee stand in the downtown area and is president of the Sumas Chamber of Commerce. “We’re nervous.”
On Sunday, Nov. 14, the community of Sumas came together to assemble sandbags and put them in places that were most impacted by the flooding in 2020. Nicole Postma said when it first started around 1 p.m. on Sunday, people were calm and steadily working away. As the rain continued and it became clear this wasn’t going to be a typical flood, the number of volunteers grew to around 30, with Jason Postma and their two teenage sons joining the effort while Nicole Postma provided hot drinks and snacks. The crews were still going at it past 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
“We’re a small community and everyone was pitching in during a difficult time,” Nicole Postma said.
The river water arrived in force around 9 a.m. Monday, flowing over a small bridge in town and cutting off those who remained from everyone else in Whatcom County. City officials urged people to stay in place and wait it out if they can, citing that it was too dangerous to venture out.
On its Facebook page, city officials put out a call for volunteers with boats for the Cherry and Front street area of town. It also reported that City Hall had flooded and was also asking residents to conserve water because safe drinking water may be in short supply.
“Please do your best to stay calm and stay safe as the water continues to rise. Do everything you can to prepare and get to an elevated part of your house if possible. All the roads exiting Sumas are still currently closed and the water will probably stay at a high level for at least most of the day today,” said one Facebook post from the city of Sumas Facebook page. “Right now, we just need to stay focused on getting through this together, safely.”
Several residents on the city’s Facebook page were asking for more sandbags, as water was already getting into garages and the first floor of houses and apartments.
Postma’s coffee stand sits on a little higher ground than many businesses in town, but as she waits at home she has no idea what has happened to her business. She does know that this flood is going to devastate the community.
After the floodwaters recede, Postma said residents will need help. Having no power means food will be in short supply, that will need to be addressed as residents face an intense amount of cleanup work ahead.
“The most important thing is that we are coming together to get through this; it’s a light in a dark time,” Postma said.
For further updates, visit the Sumas city or Sumas Chamber of Commerce Facebook pages.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 1:49 PM with the headline "As Sumas deals with a major flood, residents nervously shelter in place."
