A Saanich man is still trying to put his house back together after it was flooded by a broken water main back in October.
Three months ago, a water main broke on a street near Jeffrey Stephen’s home, creating a large sinkhole and damaging nearby properties.
Since the flood, Stephen has been working with his insurance company to catalog his damaged items. Some items, like his motorcycles, aren’t covered by his insurance. Others, like family photo albums, are irreplaceable.
As neighbours begin renovations, he is still waiting for repairs to begin.
The Capital Regional District, which is responsible for the water main, is protected from paying damages by the Local Government Act. They have met with Stephen to explain the issue.
“They need to follow the legal minimums because they don’t want to set a precedent for when this happens again,” Stephen says.
The stress of it all has taken a toll on Stephen. He has experienced some health issues, forcing him to take some time off work.
To make matters worse, he faces an audit and his tax documents were damaged in the flooding.
“When it rains, it floods,” he says.
-with files from Kylie Stanton
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