An atmospheric river storm two weekends ago flowed through B.C., bringing record-breaking rainfall in parts of the province. It caused widespread flooding, temporarily closing all major routes in and out of Vancouver. The storm resulted in deadly mudslides, animal losses on farms, and added to the supply-chain issues already heightened because of the pandemic.

Now, more storms are coming to parts of the province—and some in the business community are responding.

A call for help: At the BC Tech Association’s annual Technology Impact Awards last Thursday, CEO Jill Tipping called on the tech community for help with the “catastrophic issues.” The association’s social-impact group convened stakeholders from tech firms and other sectors, she said in her remarks at the gala. The focus is to gather funds and create a matching campaign to support organizations doing work on the ground.

A quick $1M: The coalition, led by Vancouver’s Hootsuite, announced the following day it was donating $912,000 to the Canadian Red Cross. Participants included Traction on Demand, Thinkific, Nexii and Copperleaf. Tipping, whose association donated $5,000, told The Logic that she was “thrilled” with the immediate response. “B.C.’s stricken communities need our help, and B.C.’s tech sector is a community that steps in to help when we’re needed. We did it during COVID, and we’re doing it again now.”

More coming: Some firms have continued fundraising efforts or are providing help in other ways.

Vancouver’s Unbounce is collecting employee donations and matching them until Friday, said social-impact manager Erika Finlay. “Last week, there was an outpouring of support from team members wanting to help out those devastated by the B.C. floods,” she said, noting the initiative is part of the company’s one per cent pledge, through which it donates that much of its profits.

Hootsuite will open up its company matching budget from Nov. 30 until the end of December to help support flood relief. It will encourage staff to donate to organizations “focused on helping the people of B.C. recover from the catastrophic floods,” said corporate social responsibility director Eva Taylor. Its first matching campaign in early October brought in more than $112,000.

To help with the effort: Those looking to help can reach out to [email protected], said Tipping. “What’s most needed right now is to channel resources to the key organizations that are already working on the ground.”