SUMAS, Wash. — Rotting floorboards creak in the ghost of Emily Quinn's house.
Disney stickers on the walls of her daughters' bedroom are the only thing that's recognizable. The drywall is ripped out, plumbing is removed.
The family evacuated just before the Nooksack River spilled 30 inches of water into their home last November. Eleven months later, her family of four is still living in an apartment.
"It's hard, especially coming up on the anniversary," Quinn said. "My 5-year-old has a hard time. She asks a lot about where her things are, her toys, when we get to go home."
Emily's family lost 90% of their belongings to the flood.
They had lived in their house for just eight months before seeing their future washed away.
"I get angry," she said. "Being displaced, not having a place for my kids that's their own hurts."
Back-to-back floods last November in Whatcom County damaged 2,000 properties, with losses now estimated at $200 million.
The county is still assisting more than 500 families who were displaced.
With another cold, wet winter in the forecast officials are making changes to make sure they're better prepared than last year.
The county is instituting a new communications plan through the whatcomready.org website giving people 72 hours' notice about potential flooding, 24 hours notice to prepare to leave, and a 12-hour evacuation notice via email, text and phone calls.
Public Works has cleared sediment and debris from a channel along the Nooksack River that will ease the pressure when it swells. The county is also updating monitors on the river to get better projections about rising river levels.
Over a two-day span during the floods crews performed 250 rescues.
One person died after driving past a "road closed" sign and into floodwaters.
In response, the county is replacing certain "road closed" signs with physical gates.
A long-term solution for the flood-prone Nooksack, however, is still only in the discussion phase.
"Because it's a complex water system, what happens in one place impacts downstream or upstream. There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of solutions being talked about," said Whatcom County Flood Recovery Manager Kyle Christensen.
Some are taking matters into their own hands, raising their homes 10 feet or more off the ground and hoping for compensation from FEMA.
Quinn isn't that fortunate.
Her home will have to be demolished, but she will rebuild on higher ground, her family's foundation solid.
She said, "I tell my kids, even if it does happen again we will stay standing, just like we are now."