Severe flooding in Sumas, Washington has left many homes with inundated crawl spaces, cutting off electricity and heat and making homes cold and dark for families in the dead of winter. As the floods have now receded, families face the next urgent task of their recovery: preventing mold growth and stabilizing their homes so repairs can begin.
Our teams are on the ground helping homeowners take these next steps forward, where we’ve been in place working around the clock throughout the holidays.
Removing Waterlogged Material
Over the past days, we have completed muck and gut work in impacted homes, which involves removing damaged, waterlogged materials and preparing spaces for drying and mold sanitation. This work is essential to stop the long-term health risks in their tracks and ensure homes can be safely repaired.
For homeowner Rockelle, whose home we supported with muck and gut work, the scale of recovery is daunting:
“The recovery is not just a week or two or a month even, but it’s months long, especially for people who had to leave their houses,” she shared with us. “It’s overwhelming, the amount of things that need to happen and not knowing what order.”
Drying Out Wet Spaces
Drying is the most urgent need right now. To help stabilize homes across the community, our teams have placed fans and dehumidifiers throughout Sumas, accelerating the drying process and reducing moisture levels that allow mold and mildew to spread.
We continue to assess crawl spaces and interior areas, closely monitoring moisture levels to determine when homes are ready for the next phases of recovery. Nick explains what this looks like and why it’s important below:
Removing Drywall
Because flood waters were contaminated, all drywall and insulation must be removed. These materials absorb bacteria and toxins and, if left in place, will inevitably grow mold and mildew. Gutting a home can be an impossible task for families on their own, that’s why our biggest priority is helping homeowners where they haven’t found support, to manage a healthy reset and a safer foundation to rebuild from.
This work is being carried out in close coordination with the Whatcom County Long Term Recovery Group, which is operating a command center in Sumas and managing all intake and case management for the area. As Kyle Christensen, the former mayor of Sumas, from the group explains, “We always remember in recovery, it’s not just about meeting physical needs, it’s about meeting the mental needs as people are in different stages of grieving.”
Through close partnerships in the area, we’re able to prioritize households with the greatest need and ensure families receive the right support at the right time. As recovery continues, our teams stand alongside Sumas homeowners as we always do, stabilizing homes, protecting health, and supporting families through the long, complex road to recovery.
Make a Difference
Your support is what allows us to be on the ground when disasters like the Washington Floods happen, wherever they strike. Weeks after, the media has moved on, but we’re still there.
Thank you for standing with Washington State in its greatest time of need.
