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A B.C. community is rallying together to help a family after their home was destroyed by the mudslide that hit the town of Birken, north of Pemberton.
Massive amounts of mud, water, and debris swept down through the mountain in Birken on Sunday evening, completely devastating the family home of Rob and Erin, and their three-year-old son River.
Watch RAW video of #Pemberton Portage Road mudslide http://t.co/EFeGj1jD2f pic.twitter.com/yPQ5N3p8PP
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) September 21, 2015The ground floor of the home was completely filled with mud, and the second floor was partially filled, while one side of the house was ripped away.
The family has lost everything, aside from a few beloved possessions they managed to recover.
According to the GoFundMe campaign established on their behalf, the insurance company has denied their claim.
The campaign has already garnered over $7,600 in 72 hours. The goal of the campaign is to raise $300,000 for the family.
In addition, a Slide Relief Fund has been established at a local Scotia Bank to help out impacted Birken residents.
Heavy rain on Sunday evening prompted the detrimental landslide. As a result, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District issued an evacuation order for the homes along Portage Road.
As of Tuesday, the evacuation order remains in place, but crews are now working to clear Portage Road.
The main stretch of road that was impacted by the landslide is now open, but only to emergency responders and local residents.
TranBC recently posted this video, showing the substantial amount of damage done by the landslide. Approximately 200-300 metres of road is covered by debris and mud; the sludge is about two to four metres deep.
According to TranBC, three large BC Hydro transmission towers and a small distribution line, along with CN rail tracks, have been damaged.
Power in surrounding areas has been knocked out. However, the town of D’Arcy, just north of Birken, has since had its power restored.
Moving forward, emergency coordinators will be working to recover what they can from impacted properties and assess the damage done by this massive mudslide.
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