SUMAS, Wash. — The Canadian-border town of Sumas looked like a completely different area on Monday compared to the scene residents were faced with over the weekend.
Over the weekend, Highway 9 in downtown was so flooded that people traveled on the street using kayaks. The border crossing into Canada was closed for several hours.
On Monday, customs checkpoints were back open, as was Highway 9. On the east side of the town, the floodwaters are slowly going down.
About 75 volunteers managed to clean up the flood debris in a matter of hours on Tuesday.
"We haven’t seen flooding since like…1990,” said mayor Kyle Christensen, who had a busy weekend as city hall remained open dealing with the emergency and handling questions from citizens.
Much of the town is on a flood plain, so most people will be insured.
Many houses, even older ones, have been raised several feet. However, that didn't stop the waters from getting into some homes and businesses.
One resident told KING 5 that her 1916 vintage home was just out of reach of the floodwaters, but the garage had several inches
“Sunday morning we wake up, and we're living in the middle of a lake,” said resident Jeanie Widden, who along with her husband Ward Johnson live in the newer homes that have more elevated structures.
Mayor Christensen said it’s too early to know the damage in terms of dollars. He has spoken to Gov. Jay Inslee, Representative Suzan DelBene’s office and others about the potential for his city to be declared a disaster area.
