Moving past pandemic, floods into 2023

By Elisa Claassen For the Tribune

As Thanksgiving 2021 was hitting, so were the flood waters. In the aftermath, the Lynden Tribune talked with residents whether it was at the store, public meetings, or for other stories.

The following stories introduce you to some of the many people who are doing their best to get past the November 2021 flood.

• Everson resident Doug Davis lives along the river bank off of Highway 9 on Hopewell Road. He has lost portions of his farm property fronting the Nooksack.

It has happened over the decades. At one point, he appealed to the government in Canada to get help for the Nooksack here. He was actually heard, he said.

• Trisha Griffin Hadeen was living at 1400 Boon Street in an Indigo Property Management unit in Sumas. She and her family had 20 inches in their home and had to leave. They spent the beginning of 2022 bouncing between family and friends’ homes and stayed on and off at hotels.

• Carl Crouse had retired from being a full-time pastor at Sumas Christian Advent Church and came into a whole new ministry during — and after — the flood. He showed up and listened as neighbors and former parishioners were stressed and scared.

Eventually, Crouse took his series of Facebook memory posts, interviews, and research and published a book, “The Waters Are Rising.”

While looking at the impact of the floods, his subti- tle is “Stories of Inspiration and Hope.”

Everson and Nooksack Marcelo Pratesi, director of advancement and communications for Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County, said a lot has been selected on Everson’s Lincoln Street, east of P3 Materials and Supplies, on which 30 townhomes – a mix of two, three, and four bedroom units – will be built. The goal is to break ground this summer, 2023, or even late spring after the building permits have been obtained, he said.

Habitat has built four single-family homes in Everson and three in Nooksack. The last was a home in Everson in 2023.

“These will be permanently affordable homes,” Pratesi said. “We will be starting our own land trust to help preserve affordabil- ity, and hope to serve the medianincome range.”

Because the area is zoned for commercial use, the frontage, he said, would include 7,000 square feet of commercial space. Above the space would be eight apartments.

“We are looking for ways to make them equity-building rentals, where we help people in our program prepare for home ownership, Pratesi said.”

Pratesi explained that Habitat selects locations for projects based on availability of land.

“As the cost of land increases, it becomes harder to find affordable places to build,” He said. “It is also more rare to be donated land. We received ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, which are federal but were administered through Whatcom County, as well as a loan from Habitat for Humanity International to purchase this lot.”

Whatcom County residents in need of affordable housing apply for Habitat’s program, he said.

“Our Homebuyer Selection Committee goes through the pro- cess of analyzing their eligibility based on income and current living conditions,” Pratesi said. “Our volunteer Board of Directors then choose homebuyers based on recommendations from the selection committee. We serve low-income families currently living in substandard conditions, which we define as unsafe, overcrowded, or where 30% or more of their income is spent on rent.”

The chosen site sits on a shallow edge of the 100-year flood plain. Aerial shots did show partial flooding there from the fall 2021 flood, he explained. A hydrology report was also done and they are watching the FEMA guidelines.

“We hope the site doesn’t flood in the future, but preventing damage has guided our approach from the start,” he said. “Especially since avoiding the damage from future floods is a crucial part of our goal for long-term affordability for our homebuyers.”

Habitat’s construction team plans to raise the building sites one foot above the base flood elevation.

“Our plans include building the finished floors two feet above the base flood elevation, utilizing slab foundations,” Pratesi said. “We also plan on using attic space, instead of crawl spaces, to run ducts, power and venting, to limit damage during future flood events.”