CALGARY—A man who was forced out of his home by flooding in southern Alberta last year has won a show home worth almost $1 million.
High River resident William Rader and his family were out of their house for almost two months when flood waters swamped most of the town south of Calgary last June.
Rader bought a ticket for the STARS air ambulance fundraising lottery and was one of four grand prize winners announced Tuesday.
He said finding out he won a house is surreal and it will take some time to sink in.
The new house—worth $945,000—is a bit of a drive from High River. It’s located in the central Alberta city of Red Deer.
Rader said he’s not even sure he, his wife, Tonya, and their young son, Ethan, will move into the new home.
“That’s something the wife and I will have to discuss at this time,” he said. “We just don’t know. It’s just too much to take in right now.”
Rader was quick to remind that almost everyone in High River was affected by the flood. Some residents are still waiting for repairs to be completed, some decided to move and some homes were write offs.
“We happened to win this... but there’s a lot more people out there that could use it more than we could,” he said.
“Everybody’s had hardship right now in High River. If you could turn around and give $1 million to everybody that would be just a good start.”
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