When Ben Heraud started his shift as a barista in Deep Cove on Saturday morning, he wasn't expecting to be saved by the fire department with a rope due to massive flooding.
But that's exactly what happened as an atmospheric river battered the West Coast, causing a torrent of water to cascade down Gallant Avenue, the main commercial street in the popular North Vancouver tourist destination.
“As soon as I stepped out into the force of the water, I was really glad they gave me a rope,” Heraud said. “The force of the water as soon as it hit your feet, it was coming up over your shoulders and you’re really pulling yourself out there. It was pretty crazy.”
Heraud parked his car near Caf/EH just before 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning, expecting it to be a normal, if a bit rainy, day on the job.
As the barista did his morning routine – baking muffins and brewing coffee – Heraud saw how harsh the rain was coming down but didn’t think much of it, expecting the day to be slow.
But in only a couple hours, at 10 a.m., Heraud began to see water flowing down Gallant Avenue. In the next hour, water started to come through the wood walls of Caf/EH, and soon after the bottom level flooded, reaching over ankle depth.
It soon became clear that Heraud and his co-worker couldn’t get out on their own, so members of the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services jumped in to help, setting up a rope system to pull the pair out safely.
Caf/EH was just one of the businesses hammered by the atmospheric river that swept through the Lower Mainland last weekend, leading to floods across the North Shore.
Deep Cove was one of the worst neighbourhoods hit, with businesses being forced to close like Caf/EH until further notice, while six homes on Panorama Drive had to be evacuated due to flood damage. Over the weekend, 292 millimeters of precipitation was recorded.
Iris Blanchett, general manager of Caf/EH, says the flooding has caused damage to the walls, the bathroom, the outside doors as well as electrical damage to the fridge and freezer.
“Because we had no power, all the perishables are garbage,” Blanchett said. “They all need to be binned, there’s quite a bit of loss.”
The closure could be anywhere up to a month or more, Blanchett said, but she’s glad everyone is safe, and no one got hurt.
Now, Blanchett is waiting to hear back from insurance companies to assess the damage and what can be done to get the cafe up and running again.
Down Gallant Avenue is The Seymour Art Gallery, another shop affected by the flooding.
Curator/director Vanessa Black says the gallery floors and walls are slightly damaged and are being repaired. The gallery and shop are temporarily closed until repairs are done.
Although only a little bit of water came through, Black says she is thankful there is no damage to any art, shop items, furniture or electronics.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Black said. “I think we got lucky in a lot of ways, and I think a big part of it is because of the help and quick response time that we had people helping out right after.”
Black was off site on Saturday morning when she received a text from a colleague letting her know of the water coming into the gallery. When it became clear this was a crisis, Black grabbed a bucket and towels and hopped in a cab from Vancouver.
“It was like a river once I arrived,” Black said. “Thankfully nobody was hurt, and everyone was evacuated from the building.”
They are hoping to reopen before their annual Winter Gift Gallery Nov. 12, as it’s a really important time for the gallery, but also for the local businesses that participate in the market.
Deep Cove community celebrating resilience
Despite the situation, there is one thing that stood out for Black – the help she received from the community.
When Black and another colleague were able to go back to the gallery to see the damage, people came right away to support.
There were many hands ready to help bail water out and move things out of the gallery, while countless others checked in to see how they were doing, Black said.
“Although it was really an intense day, I just had this feeling of warmth and community from everybody’s response,” Black said. “The biggest takeaway from all this was the amazing community that we have in Deep Cove.”
Caf/EH made an Instagram post Monday sharing the support they have seen from the community, receiving many comments from people asking what they can do to help them during this time.
Bob Putnam, co-owner of Deep Cove Collective, likewise saw the community come together after the flooding.
The collective wasn’t badly hit like the other businesses, Putnam said, as they had little flooding in the store, but people quickly came to help them clean up.
People came bringing dehumidifiers and checking in to see what they needed help with. Even now that the business is open and running again, people are still asking how they are doing, which Putnam appreciates.
Since the flooding, other businesses have been able to reopen, including Deep Cove Stage Society and Arms Reach Bistro.
“The Deep Cove community was really supportive,” Putnam said. “It’s really heartwarming to have that contribution.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
