'It's like walking on Mars to me': B.C. senior still paying mortgage on 'not livable' property after November floods
Imagine paying the mortgage on a home that no longer exists, for a property that's now virtually worthless.
Such is the case for a senior from Hope, B.C., whose home was swept away, along with part of his property, during last November's floods.
“I can't afford to rent a home. I can't afford an apartment. I'm lost absolutely loss of what to do,” said Graham Zillwood.
Eighteen years ago, Zillwood purchased just over an acre of property along the Coquihalla River. But where there was once his home, lawn and gardens, there's now rocks, stumps and a river bed.
“It's like walking on Mars to me. It's hard to picture what was here,” he said while showing CTV News what was left of his property, which he describes as “not livable.”
“We've been told by Fraser Valley Regional district we can't live on it,” said the 67-year-old who narrowly escaped before the floods hit.
His property assessment for 2021 shows the value of his home and property, which was just over acre, at $445,000. He said it's now valued at $1.
He said after the flood, he contacted his mortgage company. He claimed the company verbally agreed to defer payments, but didn't.
“They never deferred. Every month they've been taking my payment. And I'm on old age pension,” he said.
CTV News contacted First National Financial LP, but it declined an interview for privacy reasons.
An email from the company's CFO, Robert Inglis, said in part, “We can assure you that First National cares about this customer and the hundreds of thousands of other Canadians who choose us as their lender.
"In the meantime, we continue to work with the borrower and insurers toward a solution satisfactory to all stakeholders in this unfortunate situation.”
Zillwood did have house insurance, however, he said the maximum he could be insured for “overland water” was about $30,000.
He put that payout entirely toward his outstanding mortgage.
Zillwood also said he's yet to receive any funds from the province.
He was recently approved for $100,000 in Disaster Financial Assistance, but says that won't be enough to rebuild and doesn't amount to the 80 per cent of his home value he had anticipated.
Emergency Management BC wouldn't comment on the specific case.
However, in an email it said, “To date, we have received more than 2,200 applications for DFA from individuals, small businesses, farms, charitable organizations, and local governments impacted by the November 2021 flooding.”
Typically, Emergency Management BC receives an average 450 applications a year.
EMBC said that so far, 949 DFA applications have been processed though not everyone was eligible for payment.
“So far, $7.5 million has now been paid out through DFA,” the email said.
Meanwhile, Zillwood has been living with his daughter and her family, having taken over his grandaughter's room.
“I can't stay there forever and it's not fair. She needs her bedroom back,” he said.
“I need a home but I just can't pay it while I'm doing the mortgage.”
An online fundraiser set up to help him has raised almost $18,000.
Michele
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.