It would have been easy for everyone at Russell Farm Market & Garden Centre to simply throw in the towel after the second devastating flood in less than two years at the business on the Trans Canada Highway near Westholme.

But they鈥檙e a resilient bunch there and the process of cleaning up the damage following the latest storm began in earnest Tuesday, a day after the flood waters receded enough to literally start picking up the pieces again. The process continued throughout the week with the aid of numerous dedicated volunteers willing to do almost anything to provide a helping hand.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no words to express the thank yous,鈥� said operations manager Tammy Calverley. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had lots of offers of help.鈥�

Several individuals, club members and businesses stepped forward immediately to lend assistance in the bid to speed up the onerous task of getting the business operational again.

鈥淪o much support, amazing,鈥� said co-owner France Bournazel.

It鈥檚 been such a hectic and crucial time for the survival of the business. Being idled any longer than necessary just isn鈥檛 an option.

鈥淥ur goal is to be operational in some capacity as soon as possible,鈥� noted Calverley.

鈥淲e鈥檙e relying on the hearts of the community and the trades people to do what they can for us. This is our slow time of the year. We don鈥檛 have cash flow. We operate on cash flow this time of the year.鈥�

鈥淚 need the cash flow,鈥� reinforced Bournazel. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have no insurance. We need to open. At least we鈥檒l do a flood special. We need the money.鈥�

Trying to get insurance was an impossible task, particularly after the last flood on Jan. 31, 2020 and the threat that it could easily happen again since little has been done on the Chemainus River to alleviate the recurring problems since then. And it was not from a lack of trying to get insurance, as attempts were even made to secure a policy with a company as far away as the United Kingdom.

鈥淲e struggled to get basic insurance and flood was not an option for us,鈥� conceded Calverley.

Staff members have been fighting back tears at the prospect of getting through this unbelievable outcome again. But there鈥檚 a job to do and everyone is staying strong in the wake of incredible adversity.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so bad out there,鈥� said Bournazel. 鈥淭he one thing I feel I鈥檓 blessed. I have to look at the positives in life, I鈥檓 healthy.鈥�

The biggest need, she added, is if there鈥檚 anyone in the community who has refrigeration units they can donate. The equipment that鈥檚 required to keep food cool and fresh is imperative and doesn鈥檛 come cheap to replace the ones no longer functional from water damage.

A few saving graces in this latest flood included the recovery of the Russell Stewart memorial bench. It means a lot to Bournezal as a testament to her business partner, who died in 2017.

The bench was swept right across the street from Russell Farm and Doug Groenendijk, whose family operates a farm on Mount Sicker Road, got on a tractor to salvage it.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I burst into tears,鈥� confided Bournazel. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Russell told me. You鈥檝e got to keep going. So I keep going.鈥�

The amount of silt this time was a lot less than the last flood, about two inches compared to nearly 10, making the muddy part of the clean-up more manageable.

鈥淭he river was already cleared out from the last flood,鈥� pointed out Calverley.

There was also great concern about the goats connected to the farm, but they turned out to be OK.

鈥淚 called them from the highway,鈥� said Bournezal. 鈥淭hey stuck their head out and I knew they were above water.鈥�

Frustration over the continual threat of floods has grown for Russell Farm and the nearby Halalt First Nation, also heavily impacted again. The problem for this portion of the Chemainus River flooding lies with logjams while gravel bars on other parts of the river are the issue.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty much the same thing that happened before,鈥� said Bournazel. 鈥淲hat do we have to do to fix the problem? The logs blocked the bridge again. You know these logs have been cut. They鈥檙e not fallen trees. The river got detoured.鈥�

She added the river rose again from two inches to three feet in a matter of 50 seconds.

鈥淵ou can see from the bridge how high the logs were. For them to fix it is for them to build a very nice dike. Who am I to deserve that? And for the (Halalt) First Nation, why are they under water again? It鈥檚 so sickening.

鈥淭hey need to remove these logs. Nobody鈥檚 going to do nothing so I don鈥檛 know what to do.鈥�