On January 19th, 2011 the Rev. Lincoln McKoen of the Diocese of BC who ministers to the town of Alert Bay and the village of Kingcome Inlet visited the Kingcome site.
Kingcome village and St. George's Church were devastated by flooding which was the result of torrential rains September 24 and 25 of 2010.
We are grateful to Lincoln for sending his wonderful photos of the work going on at the site.
All the buildings in the village are being raised and repaired, making them more resistant to flooding.
The company who did all the raising of the buildings in the village donated the cost of the raising ($30,000-$40,000). They weren't able to save the vestry as it was falling off and had been in significant disrepair prior to the flood. Diocesan insurance adjustors are currently reviewing quotes for the interior clean-up.
Immediate plans are to get stairs built to the top of the church. A carpentry crew from Alert Bay, as part of a training course are donating their time during the weeks of January 17th and 23rd to help in the reconstruction of the homes.
According to Lincoln, "Most of the village is rebuilding, and once all the garbage is cleaned out, the debris taken away, and the grass grows back, the village will be in excellent shape. Now that the work is proceeding at a good pace people's spirits are improving greatly."
Image above: a front partial side view of St. George's under construction.
Image below: Rotting floorboards will need to be replaced during the interior clean-up.