Skip to content

VIDEO: Third house in Hope lost to rising Coquihalla River following heavy rain and flooding

Giraud family now looking for a place to live as family members raise money on their behalf

Another home has been lost to the Coquihalla River in Hope, following unrelenting rain in the area.

The ground under the home of the Sarah Giraud and her family has been eroding for weeks and on Monday, Nov. 29, about half the home and half the garage were hanging over the river.

“Our house is officially going now. The river will take it,” Giraud told the community on a Facebook page for Hope residents. She also shared an aerial video of the house, in which it only has about half of its foundation attached to ground. It is the third house in the small rural neighbourhood on Othello Road to be lost to the water.

But now the house is gone.

They were renting the home and are now searching for a place, with their one year old and four year old children. They evacuated two weeks ago when the river first rose and swept away their neighbour Graham Zillwood’s home and land. This past weekend, Don and Katrina Page also lost their home in the same neighbourhood.

A relative has started a GoFundMe for the young family, who have lost everything. It is called: My brother & his family lost their home

“All of our belongings and our children’s belongings were in that home,” Giraud said. “We have worked very hard to purchase our belongings. We even decorated the house with Christmas lights just before the flood and we had all of the decorations ready to set up that weekend. We celebrated our children’s birthdays there and holidays. We had family and friends in our home and it was filled with love. We lived there and loved living there.”

They had hoped to live there for a long time, she explained.

“Watching this unfold and being there when the first flood hit has been incredibly difficult. I’m so sad for everyone who lost their belongings, home, and property.”

RELATED: Homes lost, road wiped out due to rising river near Hope after days of rain


@CHWKcommunity
jessica.peters@hopestandard.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.



Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
Read more