Merritt, B.C., ranchers still recovering from triple natural disaster
First, it was a wildfire.
Then came the catastrophic floods.
And then, their properties were hit by a massive mudslide.
A Merritt rancher and her neighbours have faced three natural disasters in a little over a year.
“It took us a lifetime to build (our ranch) and 373 days to destroy it,” said Rhonda MacDonald of Bar FX Ranch. She lost 37 cattle in the Lytton Creek wildfire in 2021. Last November’s catastrophic floods cost her seven acres of land.
She said the most recent disaster happened Aug. 23, when a rainstorm triggered a mudslide on a mountain, pushing tonnes of debris onto five properties below.
“There were boulders that came down and massive, massive trees,” MacDonald said.
Security camera video captures some of the mudslide.
MacDonald was home alone at the time.
“I didn’t have time to be scared. Everything happened really fast,” she said.
The slide destroyed fencing and buried their hay field. MacDonald says debris still covers about 20 acres of their ranch. In places, the mud is more than a metre deep.
“If it’s only the mud, it might not have been such a hard thing to deal with, but it’s three- and four-foot boulders, it's logs, it’s equipment we had stored up the hill,” she explained.
MacDonald and her neighbours want provincial help to clear debris so they can farm again.
The BC Liberal agriculture critic thinks they should get it.
Delta South MLA Ian Paton said only a fraction of the money committed for disaster financial relief in B.C. after the floods has been handed out. He said some of that money should help MacDonald and her neighbours.
“Why are they holding back on people that desperately need that money and aren’t getting it?” he asked.
In an email, Emergency Management B.C. told CTV News: “We understand this has been an extremely challenging year for people who have experienced wildfires, flooding and mudslides.”
But the statement goes on to say that neither land damage nor debris removal is eligible for financial assistance.
“EMBC is connecting with (non-government organizations) to find out if they may be able to provide support to people affected by this mudslide,” the email reads.
Paton also said the province needs to move faster in replanting forests wiped out by fires or there will be more mudslides.
“The forest fires, it leaves almost like a film, like the crust on a creme brulee desert, so when the rain hits in great amounts, there’s nothing to soak into soil in the side of that mountain,” he said.
The Ministry of Forests said in an email that “fire guard rehabilitation has been completed on the Lytton Creek wildfire," as has a post-wildfire natural hazard risk assessment.
However, the email is not clear if that work includes the mountainside where the flood occurred.
The ministry also said that replanting areas ravaged by both wildfire and pests is “essential to our fight against climate change and rebuilding forest health.”
The ministry said that since 2018, the province has planted more than 1 billion trees in its reforestation efforts.
Meanwhile, MacDonald said she doesn’t want to give-up her ranch, but that she and her neighbours need the province to step in.
Must Watch
Top Videos
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau says Trump's comments on 51st state 'flattering' but a 'non-starter'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says talk of Canada becoming the 51st state is a distraction from more pressing threats of U.S tariffs on Canada and their likely impact.
1 hour ago
UPDATED | Alberta premier Danielle Smith meets with Trump at impromptu Mar-a-Lago visit
Alberta premier Danielle Smith met with President-elect Donald Trump Saturday at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
18 min ago
UPDATED | Former PM Chretien says Liberal party must move back to 'radical centre'
As the Liberal party searches for a new leader, former prime minister Jean Chretien says it's time for the party to move back to the "radical centre" to help its electoral fortunes.
40 min ago
Why Canada and the U.S. are seeing a trend of wildfires in recent years
As Los Angeles continues to battle one of the most destructive wildfires in its history, experts say the devastation signals a troubling trend fuelled by a larger climate crisis.
1 hour ago
Vance says Jan. 6 participants who committed violence 'obviously' shouldn't be pardoned
Vice President-elect JD Vance says people responsible for the violence during the Capitol riot “obviously” should not be pardoned, as President-elect Donald Trump is promising to use his clemency power on behalf of many of those who tried on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturn the results of the election that Trump lost.
2 hours ago
Are there U.S. military bases and American troops in Canada?
The U.S. military has more than 165,000 troops deployed in over 170 countries and territories, including Canada.
UPDATED | Teen's road test halted by stunt driving charge
A 17-year-old driver failed their road test before it even began after being stopped by police in a community safety zone.
22 min ago
UPDATED | 'Everything is on the table': Joly won't rule out cutting off energy exports to U.S. in face of Trump tariff threat
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is not ruling out any countermeasures when it comes to dealing with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump — his threat of significant tariffs on Canadian imports, in particular.
41 min ago
Sault motorist was driving 175 km/h on Hwy. 17, northern Ont. police say
A 20-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie has been charged with stunt driving and is accused of exceeding the speed limit by 85 km/h.
1 hour ago