The Restoration of Kingcome Village After the Flood
View the video here on your mobile device.
Narrator: Due East of the Broughton Archipelago in the Pacific waters of British Columbia, lies Kingcome Inlet, the outflow terminus of the river with the same name. About two miles up the river is the First Nations Kingcome Village, home to the Tswatineuk people who have had a presence in this spiritual and tranquil land for thousands of years.
On September 25, 2010 that tranquility was shattered when the Kingcome River, after unusually heavy rains, flooded the village. About 100 residents had to be evacuated to Alert Bay and over 50 homes suffered flood damage.
And according to Alan Reyno, Project Manager for Onside Restoration, the company contracted to restore the damage at Kingcome Village, it was a logistical challenge beyond anything he’s seen before.
Alan Reyno: The real challenge was not even the work itself quite honestly. It was the logistics of making it happen because there was no where for our crews to stay in town because they didn’t have anywhere for us because any houses that might be usable were flooded.
So we ended up having to rent a barge, which is actually a fishing lodge based in Campbell River that was decommissioned for the winter. They got it fired up for us and we towed it over with a tug to Kingcome Inlet and it was tied up at the mouth of the river and we had our crew stay on the barge.
The problem was Kingcome Village is about five kilometers up river, so from there we had to actually get trucks and have them barged over to the other side of the river, and then we’d drive up and down the river in these trucks. Then we’d have one of the locals there in his aluminum skiff and he’d take us back and forth across the river.
It was a real nightmare and a safety issue too because there was at least one time where the guys had to evacuate the town because the river was rising again. So we had to get our guys to the other side of the river and back down to the barge. All the supplies, our trucks, everything had to barged in.
One of the more interesting parts when trying to get the project going; we’d get up there trying to time the barge right, because the barge is about a 16 hour ride over there. The first time we went up there to Campbell River, because that’s where we loaded the barge, as the barge is coming in it caught fire. That delayed us by a couple of days but luckily the insurance adjuster who was on for the work in Kingcome Village was also the same adjuster for the barge fire; so it was in his best interest to get that barge repaired as soon as possible. And they actually got it up running in two days, which was a miracle in itself.
Narrator: Aside from the logistical problems, managing a crew for six weeks in a remote location can be incredibly challenging, but according to Alan, this was a special group.
Alan Reyno: Quite honestly, I think the most satisfying part of it was working with so many different groups of people. We were all able to pull it together. The natives have a construction consultant and he’s a white guy from Campbell River, and he looks after all their capital projects, construction, whatever it is, so he knows Kingcome Village inside and out. He also knows how to deal with the logistics of remote operations.
So he was the one that was able to connect me with the float plane company, and they were absolutely instrumental in getting stuff back and forth for us. Including flying in weather that looks a little dodgy, but they would figure a way to get us through it. Simple things. Like the guys were running out of cigarettes. I had the girl at the float plane company. I called her up and she went down to the store and picked up the cigarettes for them and put them on the float plane.
Everyone who was involved in the project was just so accommodating. I’ve never had a job where people gelled so well. Usually you have frustrated people at some point, they’re pissed off about something, someone wants to go home, somebody wants this, somebody wants that, or somebody’s not being treated fairly. We didn’t have that at all during the entire project, which is just so unusual in our business. Without a doubt, I would say the people side of it, and I think because we were actually making a difference up there was what kept people motivated.
Narrator: And the difference they were making did not go unnoticed by locals
Alan Reyno: The guys gelled very well with the locals. At first they were a little apprehensive like, ‘Who are these guys? They’re outsiders and do we really want them in our village?’ But by the time it was all said and done they’re bringing fresh crab down to the barge for us to eat and taking guys out on side trips into the wilderness to show them what they do for a living and they really took to our guys.It was nice to see.
They had the Federal Government in there and they kind of walk around and go, ‘Yup, yup, yup. Looks good.’ And then they’re gone and that’s the end of it. Whereas we came in there and stayed right to the bitter end, I think that’s what made a huge difference and what really made an impact for these people.
And if after a week or two and they still didn’t warm up to us, it would have been really tough to keep the spirits up because it ‘s a very remote community. There’s no cell service there. There’s no cell service on the barge. These guys were very much isolated. When we were on the barge there was no TV or anything. These guys would get up and be out to work just after seven o’clock in the morning and come back at seven o’clock at night. They’d have dinner, debrief, chat a bit about what’s going on and then hit the bed and do it all again the next day. And they were doing that seven days a week.
