SUMAS, Wash. — It's been more than two months since a series of floods swept through the border community of Sumas, and the aftermath is taking a toll on businesses.
Some business owners spent thousands of dollars and worked to reopen, but they are now finding their loyal customer base has dried up along with the water.
Nicole Sandoval Postma, president of the city's chamber of commerce and owner of the Loca Mocha coffee stand, said they were already struggling from the US-Canadian border closures before the flooding. It took more than a month to get their business back open after the flooding.
“We finally got the doors open, with limited functionality, only to discover that because there weren't all the residents living here, there was no one to serve,” Sandoval Postma said.
In some ways, Sandoval Postma believes she’s one of the lucky ones. The city's post office remains closed. The mail is being diverted to Lynden 20 minutes away.
Sumas' only doctor's office closed permanently.
A teriyaki restaurant and nail salon also shuttered.
“On top of not having revenue coming in, they're also having to dump in their own money until the community gets rebuilt,” Whatcom County Recovery Manager Kyle Christensen explained.
Christensen is a county liaison for recovery efforts and said they’re working on getting the state to do long-term flood prevention while trying to get lawmakers to kick-in money for these businesses. Businesses hope there will be programs that don't involve loans.
“We all need hope right now and getting that financial stability - knowing that money is coming - so people are willing to invest back into the community,” Christensen said. “There are solutions out there. We just have to get them out.”
Last week, Sandoval Postma had to lay off the remainder of her staff. Her revenue is 25% of what it had been before the flood.
As head of the chamber of commerce, Sandoval Postma wonders if things don’t change, how much commerce can continue without help.
“These businesses are doing everything they can to hold on, to stay open, waiting for our residents to come back. But we're not sure how that's going to happen,” she said.