Whatcom County man saves dozens from flooding with tractor

Working alongside the Sumas Police Department, Mike Scholten and his team helped save dozens of people from the flooding.

SUMAS, Wash. - Sumas, in Whatcom County, is one of the hardest-hit areas in the region from this week’s historic rains and flooding.

Water damaged an estimated 75% of homes in the city, leaving many stranded and in need of help.

FOX 13 News spoke to one local man who answered the call.

"I’m just a tractor salesman," said Mike Scholten.

Scholten says one of his coworkers was stranded in Sumas on Monday. So, he and several other employees headed to the city in tractors.

Scholten says when he got to Sumas, he realized how large the need actually was.

"That town is a mess. People needed help; they needed out," he said

Working alongside the Sumas Police Department, Scholten and his team helped save dozens of people from the flooding.

On the way home, they also saved a family trapped in their car, surrounded by the cold and fast-moving waters.

"It shocked me a little bit. I had not seen people in cars all day. I saw a lot of cars stranded, but never saw people," he said.

Scholten is not a first responder--he just had the means to help and did so.

He says he hopes others will help this holiday season by supporting community members who lost everything in the flood.