Widespread damage was assessed after a mudslide hit the resort village of Fairmont Hot Springs in southeastern British Columbia. Debris had been building up in the creek and formed itself into a natural dam. The area received a lot of rain, so finally the wall jam finally gave way and the wall of debris came down the mountain and into the town.
The debris took out two bridges that provided access to an RV campground on the property of the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, cutting off access to 600 people. Crews worked hard to keep the creek water moving throughout the community and clean up efforts tended to the local golf course, which was littered with logs and boulders.
After seeing the magnitude of the mudslide on TV, local resident Lynn Hoff became concerned about water in her residence. She called Rainbow International of the Kootenays at 10 pm on Sunday asking to be put on a list for water extraction.
“Rainbow International immediately offered to come check out my home. The crew waited for the highway to reopen and showed up an hour later. I offered to pay them for the service, but they just went in and checked everything out. My home was fine, but I just commend their team. There aren’t many people in the world like that anymore,” said Hoff.
“Locals compared the sound of the mudslide to the sound of a train coming down the mountain and into the town. There were trees and rocks thrown everywhere,” said Dianna Hessel, owner of Rainbow International of the Kootenays.
“The homeowner was fortunate the water was about 20 feet from her home, but it affected a very large area including one of the golf courses. When we contacted the client back she was floored that we actually went to check on her home,” said Hessel.
