Undeterred by flood and fire, Dottie Fisher remains thankful
Apr. 17—Sometime around May 27 — her 75th birthday — Dottie Fisher will move into a new home in White Sulphur's Hope Village. Although her journey to reach that moment has been punctuated by flood and fire, Fisher is filled with gratitude for the helping hands she has encountered along the way.
----The devastating flash floods of June 2016 destroyed Fisher's home in the tiny community of Trout when the aptly-named Roaring Creek surged out of its banks and washed her trailer a full 12 feet off of its foundation.
"The water pushed it into the trees, and branches poked through the walls," the retired school cook and custodian said.
Although the creek had flooded before, it had never gotten as far as her trailer. But Fisher did recall one time when the water got too close for comfort.
"I stood out in the driveway in front of my car, like I was protecting it from the water," she said with a chuckle. "I sure didn't want to lose my car."
But a few years later, in 2016 when the trailer washed away, the floodwater was so high it lifted Fisher's unoccupied car off the ground and spun it 180 degrees before subsiding and plunking the hapless vehicle back to earth.
Like so many other Greenbrier County residents, Fisher found herself scrambling to find a place to live that summer but nonetheless thankful for the generosity of friends, family and even strangers who pitched in to help.
The biggest helping hand came from philanthropist and entrepreneur Tom Crabtree and the many donors who enabled the Homes for West Virginia initiative and its offshoot, Homes for White Sulphur Springs, to build the new neighborhood of Hope Village. Built with Amish labor, by way of Storm-Aid and Mennonite Disaster Service, the 900- to 1200-square-foot houses in the Hope Village development provided much-needed housing for people like Dottie Fisher who had lost their homes in the flood.
Fisher took ownership of a house situated on Hope Village's Nicely Way on Feb. 12, 2017. With two bedrooms, two baths, a living room and eat-in kitchen, the cottage was a cozy home for Fisher and her then-teenage foster daughter.
But on the morning of Oct. 1, 2020, the smoke alarm installed in the center of the house began to shriek, signaling that the flood survivors were about to experience their second disaster in four years — a fire that raced through the attic and did extensive damage to the front of the house. Both women were in the house when the fire alarm went off, throwing them into a panic when they saw flames tickling the top of a living room wall.
"I went into complete shock," Fisher said.
"I lost some clothes, but my foster child lost everything, even her cat," Fisher said, noting the cat's body was found under a bed, where it had apparently perished from smoke inhalation.
An investigation into the cause of the fire was inconclusive, Fisher indicated, saying, "The only thing they could say for sure was that it didn't start in the fuse box; they showed me that. It started up high, maybe in the attic."
At any rate, the damage from the fire and smoke meant that the dwelling had to be razed, and the little family was once more without a home.
Crabtree, who along with building contractor Rob Vass created the concept that became Hope Village, again came to Fisher's rescue following the fire, arranging for her and her foster daughter to move into one of the one-bedroom Hope Village apartments, just around the corner from her homesite. Fisher felt fortunate to be able to remain in the neighborhood, near her friends.
The next challenge she faced was finding someone to rebuild her home. After a search that lasted three months, Fisher reconnected with a familiar figure — Mannie Flaud with Storm-Aid, the Amish group that had built her first home in Hope Village.
The organization rallied to the cause, sending out a group of volunteers from Pennsylvania — including a number of young people eager to see and work in this Hope Village about which they had heard so much. A contingent of 29 Storm-Aid volunteers converged on White Sulphur Springs this past week to frame up Fisher's new house on the footprint of the one that burned.
Another wave of workers is expected this week, with more to come later, prepared to fulfill the schedule they've set to get Fisher in her new home within five weeks. And the local Sears store and Grand Home Furnishings will make outfitting the home with appliances and furniture easier on Fisher's budget, thanks to their close ties to Hope Village.
Flaud and his group were among those recognized at a picnic hosted by Crabtree at Brad Paisley Community Park on Tuesday evening. Other guests included residents of Hope Village, White Sulphur city officials and staffers, along with other people who helped make Hope Village a reality.
Fisher addressed the picnic-goers, expressing her thanks for all of their support and assistance during her recent troubles.
"I was so nervous," she said afterward. "I had difficulty saying everything I wanted to say."
On Thursday, sitting on a folding chair inside the framing of what will be the kitchen of her new home, Fisher again spoke of her gratitude toward Crabtree, his associate Maggie Hutchison, the Storm-Aid volunteers, her friends and neighbors and her State Farm insurance agent and claims adjuster.
"I'm so thankful for what everybody's done," Fisher said. "They've all been wonderful. I can hardly believe how quickly everything's happening. I can't wait to be back in my home again."
— Email: talvey@register-herald.com
