A Story of Hope: How Our Community Rose to the Occasion in a Challenging Time
In late 2021, Hope and the surrounding area experienced extreme weather events, causing devastating damage to all highways in and out of our town, and leaving residents and thousands of visitors trapped here. Keep reading and learn of the effects that these events had on our community and the stories of how our people came together to support not only one another but our unexpected visitors too!
The people and businesses of Hope were instrumental in making our town as hospitable as possible in a disastrous time. Thousands of unexpected visitors were stranded in our small town, but the big hearts of our residents made room for so many of them, whether it was in churches, businesses, or homes; the people of Hope stepped up in every way that they could.
Despite nearly the entire town having no power, many businesses opened their doors, offering food, drinks, shelter, and more, free of charge, to our neighbours and many stranded visitors who were unexpectedly in need of essentials. Our community came together to make each other and our visitors feel safe despite the unprecedented circumstances. Hope Pizza Place selflessly gave pizzas to stranded visitors, Mountainview Brewing Co. donated food and other essentials while opening their doors to visitors who needed basic amenities. Many other local businesses gave generously to our residents and visitors too!
Other service businesses went out of their way to aid in any way they could. Hope Towing moved countless cars that had to be deserted until the owners could come back to retrieve them. Canyon Cable streamlined and modified their operations for the sole purpose of aiding our community. Kiewit selflessly offered their resources, equipment, connections, and staff to help wherever needed. The Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society offered their boats to move people and animals to safety. The Emil Anderson Construction Company worked hard long after the weather events to help rebuild our roads and make them safe once again!
To this day we are extremely proud of these and several other businesses for stepping up in such a big way to help whoever they could!
A cornerstone of our region, the wildlife suffered greatly during these catastrophic events. Creeks and the Fraser River surged and were filled with massive amounts of debris that not only polluted the waters but also shifted the ecosystem by harming so many of our wildlife population inside the waters, and out.
Luckily, we have organizations like the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society and countless people that have worked hard on their own time to clean the river of debris. The Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society (working with Valley Helicopters) studied the sturgeon of the Fraser River, moved them to safety, and ensured that their population thrives as much as possible. Many of our residents were quick to do everything they could daily to clear massive amounts of non-organic debris and continue to do so to this day. Once again, we find ourselves so grateful for the people that we have the privilege of calling our residents!
By air, by water and eventually, by road, our thousands of stranded visitors were able to find their way back to their homes with a bolstered or new appreciation for Hope thanks to our residents and businesses. Some even decided to make our town their new home after their unexpected stay! Commercial transport eventually resumed making its way through Hope’s junction of highways as well and residents were able to resume enjoying and exploring the beauty of the surrounding area!
Once again, we would like to extend as great of a thank you as we can to the people of Hope, the businesses of Hope, and everyone else who helped in a time of disaster and continue to be ready to help to this day. You are the reason that we feel that Hope is safe to call home and a great place to be!
Want to learn more about what it means to be a part of Hope’s community? Whether you’re looking to move, run a business or make an investment in our town, you’ll love all the resources that our website has to offer. Head to our homepage to get started!