The plan was to nip into Pemberton to grab a generator so the family would have power at home in the days following last week’s heavy rainstorm that took down a power line near Rob Elliott’s home in Birken. Little did he know, by the time Elliott got to town, he would have no home to which he could return.
Elliott, his wife Erin – formerly of Squamish – and their three-year-old son River lost everything except each other on Sunday, Sept. 20 when a swollen creek near their Birken home did the unthinkable, changed course and washed away their home and their neighbour’s home in a landslide.
“It brought down a huge amount of material and basically buried our whole property,” Elliott said. “Basically you’ve got a rubble pile here.”
Not even the land is salvageable, Elliott said.
“Probably six of the eight acres is completely buried.”
Jeff Waters, a tenant on the Elliott property, was working at the Whistler Farmers’ Market with his girlfriend when the rush of water and debris covered the property. The bus Waters was living in was crushed end-to-end like a pop can, according to Elliott. Waters, too, lost everything.
“The bus was my self-sustainable home and my dream for the last 10 years. I was less than a couple hours of work away from being completely finished converting the bus and would have been starting on a trip across Canada to promote sustainable living through music,” said Waters, who is a member of the hip hop group Animal Nation and lives part-time in Squamish.
As for the Elliotts, Erin and River had left the home and were waiting out the storm at a friend’s house when the landslide occurred.
While Elliott went back on a quad to see the damage, neither Erin or River has been back to the property.
“It is going to be tough,” said Elliott. “It is going to be shocking, that is for sure.”
In the days since the massive rainstorm and landslide, the family has been staying with friends, doing media interviews and deciding what to do next.
The ‘what next’ part has been complicated by the fact insurance won’t cover anything the family lost because the mudslide is considered an act of God, which shocked and frustrated Elliott.
“If it had caught fire, even if the creek had caused an explosion and the house burned, we would have got everything covered,” he said. Considering how many landslides happen nationwide that impact maybe 10 families every 10 or 50 years, Elliott said, he was surprised the insurance company couldn’t cover anything for the family.
The couple is applying for Disaster Financial Assistance through the province, but that won’t cover their possessions.
Elliott, a geographer, said because he and Erin are self-employed, they can piece together a living moving forward.
“It is a new beginning,” Elliott said, adding they plan to work together on Erin’s career doing graphic recording and facilitating for conferences and events.
As for Waters, he’s already looking for a new bus to convert and then will be continuing the search for a property to put it on.
“Moving forward, I will be continuing the dream as I am seeing this as an opportunity to start over and do it better,” he said on Friday.
There is a GoFundMe Page for Waters, Jeff Waters Mudslide Recovery, set up by Waters’ girlfriend.
Elliott’s brother-in-law, Brent Stewart of Squamish, set up a page, Erin and Rob’s Mudslide Recovery, in hopes of helping the family rebuild their lives.
Elliott’s voice breaks when he speaks of the support his family has received. “We have had the most amazing response from all of our friends and community,” he said. “That is what basically chokes me up the most is all of the people helping us and offers of places to stay and bringing clothes and books for River and things like that,” Elliott said, his words trailing away.
Elliott has a message he hopes everyone takes away from what happened to his family.
“Look after your friends and neighbours,” he said, his voice full of emotion.
Waters said he has been inspired by the way the Elliotts have handled the devastation caused by the landslide.
“Rob and Erin taught me a lot and through this experience, they’ve shown me strength and love. I am so ever grateful for them, and I’m sure we will continue the dream together.”
