Page 11 - GBC Spring 2022 ENG

It’s called Raincouver for a reason; but this past fall, Mother Nature elevated the token name to a new level. The first two weeks of November were already wetter than usual, but record smashing rainfall from the atmospheric river events on November 14th and 15th, 2021, were simply too much for local waterways to handle. Abbotsford, only 50 minutes east of Vancouver, was inundated with 100 millimetres of rain in a single day, doubling their previous rainfall record. Hope, 1.5 hours east of Vancouver, experienced 174 millimetres of rain which was five times their previous daily record. In addition, the unseasonably warm rainfall caused high elevation snowpack to melt, adding even more runoff into the equation.
The excess of water in such a short period of time on an already saturated landscape began to wreak havoc. Mudslides blocked major highways, raging rivers appeared out of nowhere, and bridges collapsed, leaving loved ones stranded on either side. Multiple sections of the Trans- Canada highway and other major routes in the area were underwater, destroyed or had literally vanished. It will take months to rebuild this infrastructure, disrupting the supply chain and making holiday travel extremely difficult.
Entire towns around the province of British Columbia, such as Merritt and Princeton, were completely evacuated due to severe flooding. Evacuation alerts
and notices were being handed out like Halloween candy. Multiple towns were completely cut off from the rest of the country by road. Then, the Fraser Valley began quickly filling up with water that was over ten feet deep in some places. The damage of these tragic circumstances is surreal.
However, with darkness does come light.
Neighbours banded together to save stranded families by boat and by helicopter; strangers welcomed those who were displaced into their own homes; livestock were rescued and took refuge at farmlands on higher ground; essentialareasweresandbaggedby hundred of volunteers that worked throughout the night. Family, friends and strangers united through catastrophe and what was occurring in the golf community was no different.
FRASERGLEN GOLF COURSE COMPLETELY SUBMERGED Fraserglen Golf Course and Training Facility is situated in the Sumas Prairie of Abbotsford, one of the hardest hit areas of the Fraser Valley. The 56-acre property that has been in the family for 25 years was completely submerged in floodwater upwards of five feet high, covering the entire 18- hole golf course and driving range facility. The toxic waters left a path of destruction through all of the buildings on the property including the Pro Shop full of inventory, a completely stocked Restaurant and a Maintenance Shop filled with golf course maintenance equipment and a brand-new fleet of power carts that arrived days prior.
With the entire community underwater, owners Corrine and Dave Allan took extreme measures to assess the damage to their golf
The view as Corinne and Dave Allan kayak across the Trans-Canada Highway
Golf Business Canada 11