Sumas
After the flood: still rebuilding amid uncertainty, anxiety—and community
A year after flooding devastated the Nooksack Valley, survivors continue working to recover from damages, prepare for future flooding—and wait for government funds and solutions.
Flood recovery continues in Sumas, seven months on
With both optimism and anxiety about what may lie ahead, Sumas is still in recovery from November’s devastating flooding.
Prepared for the worst, local agencies plan wildfire-fighting strategies while hoping for the best
Whatcom County’s emergency management teams will focus this year’s training on fighting wildfires, and are stepping up reminders to the community that most such fires are caused by human actions — and therefore preventable.
Community Voices / New police laws will make our communities safer
In response to “a clear call” for reforms in criminal justice and police accountability, Washington’s state legislature responded with several new laws. Now, 40th District legislators say they believe there has been some misinterpretation of the new laws, and hope that lawmakers and law enforcement agencies will continue to work to implement the new laws in good faith.
Sumas, border town of boom and bust, stays hopeful
The main thoroughfare through Sumas on its way to the Canadian border isn’t seeing much traffic since the COVID-19 pandemic forced closure of the border crossing to all but essential traffic. Although the town is home to 1,700 people and still growing, closed gas stations, empty storefronts and a lack of grocery stores give the impression of a town in decline.