After the Storm: Helping Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson
Donation protected
Hi there! This is Jessica, Sue and Pat and we are good friends of Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson. We're in California and desperately want to help Nicky out of her current situation in Alabama, where she's just been hit hard by Hurricane Sally.
In lieu of actually being there to help move boxes out of her house, we've set up this GoFundMe to help raise money to address the dangerous situation she's in with the uprooted trees on her property, some of which are threatening her main living structure.
It all adds up, so if you have a couple of bucks to spare we can help her make sure she's got a safe space to live.
Here's a note from Nicky:
I am in danger of losing my home as a result of Hurricane Sally. There are four 60-80 foot trees leaning towards the house that are cracked at the bottom and could go any moment. This is a disaster area. We still do not have power or water down here. Taking the trees down will be expensive because they are huge, dangerous, near the edge of the bluff and will require large equipment. It will cost at least $10,000 and possibly more.
On Tuesday September 15, almost 16 years to the day when Hurricane Ivan barreled up Perdido Bay--the Alabama/Florida line, I was unsure whether to stay or evacuate. The forecast at the time did not seem as if those of us in that area were in imminent danger. However, I felt to be on the safe side I would board the front of my house—all windows facing the bay, Perdido Key a slim piece of land between me and the Gulf of Mexico.
The house was built as a beach cottage in the early 1950s by my maternal grandfather, an engineer for South Central Bell. It sits on a 40-foot bluff surrounded by ancient pines many over 60 feet tall. He designed it to weather hurricanes with double bracing throughout and used heart of pine, which is so strong it is difficult to drive nails into it for hanging pictures and anything of that nature. The foundation is concrete and the house has not moved an inch in 65 years. Granddaddy kept the roofline low to prevent damage to the roof from winds that come from the Gulf. In the 1970s the house was slightly enlarged and the porch that ran the entire length of the house was enclosed. I have been in this house most of my life and inherited it in 2000.
I have mostly rented the house in the summers and used it in the winter. Two years ago, it was necessary for me to move back and live there for what I thought would be a year at most. Due to COVID, I had to stay here in order to be safely isolated. I have no other home. Most of my life is packed away in storage. I brought some of the treasures acquired through a lifetime and also brought my work—20 years of research files and books relating to my paternal grandfather, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, founder of DC Comics. I published a book in 2018 through Hermes Press—DC Comics Before Superman, contributed to a reprint published by DC this year of his first comic New Fun #1. I am in the process of writing a full biography with the manuscript near completion. I am not retired and make a living as a writer and lecturer.
In the late afternoon Tuesday the 15th, the storm was downgraded to a Category 1 and appeared to be headed to the west of me. My electricity was still on Tuesday evening but I decided to sleep in the living room with my clothes on in case of emergency. I woke around 2:30 am Wednesday morning to the lights still on but with a loud roaring sound. I grabbed some pillows, water, a flashlight, my phone, the noaa radio and my cat, Major Davies and shut us into the tiny hallway in the middle of the house which has no windows.
Major and I spent 4 hours in the hallway while the roaring continued nonstop. I could feel the house shuddering when I leaned against the door frames. At times the hatch to the crawlspace above would lift and I thought the roof would come off. I made sure Major had his collar and tags in case the worst should happen, at least he might survive and be rescued. I truly thought I would be sucked up into the storm. It was the most frightening experience of my life and I am still quite shaken. I am alive because my Granddaddy was so wise in the way the house was built over 65 years ago.
When I ventured out of the hallway Wednesday morning I could tell from the windows in the back which were not boarded that there was likely a lot of damage. I spent most of Wednesday in a daze doing little as it was still blowing quite heavily and I was obviously in shock. There was no power, the house was dark and the sky was dark all day. When I went outside late Wednesday afternoon once the wind began to die down there was devastation everywhere. Most of the rest of the huge pines left after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 are down, the driveway appeared to be impassable and it looked as if a tornado went over the house and touched down in the backyard and tore through the rest of the 5 acres. The whole area looks like a war zone. I could see the 4 large pines in the front were leaning but I thought they might miss the house if they fell or at most hit the northernmost wall.
On Thursday, still with no power or water, I called my insurance company to report damage to the roof and to see if they would do anything about the 4 pines in front leaning towards the roof, which they will not. I attempted to walk to the road down the driveway which is a 1/4 of a mile through woods but I could not get through. It was indeed impassable. I started texting everyone I knew to let them know I could not get out and finally got help to cut through the drive in the afternoon. It took 4 men until Friday mid-morning to cut a way through for me. When they reached the house on Friday everyone told me I needed to get out. That the trees leaning towards the house could fall and take the house and me with it.
I panicked and started moving things out of the bedroom into the opposite side of the house. A tree company from out of the area came down and looked at the trees and quoted me $10,000. I almost fainted. He also told me the trees were dangerous. I thought I would sleep in the side of the house away from the trees and hope for the best. I still had no power and no water. A friend who owns a farm about 12 miles from me, called and told me they had power and that I should get Major and come there. I was so dazed that I said I would think about it. Finally, as the darkness settled in, I realized I needed to get out of there. I drove there and spent the night, had the first real food in days, got a shower and tried to calm down.
Saturday, people who own beach houses on the bluff began to show up. The consensus from everyone is that the trees could easily fall on the house with the next thunderstorm or if the ground gets too wet. I do not have that kind of money available and I felt confused and uncertain of what to do. There was still no power or water. Once again, I spent time attempting to move as much as I could to the opposite end of the house.
Sunday, I managed to get gas for my car as there has been a gas and food shortage here, which seems to be easing up. I went back to the house and continued trying to protect as much as I could in case the trees fall. There was still no power and water.
On Monday I was able to move to a friend who is only 5 miles away as they now had power. When I got to their home Monday afternoon, I broke down and they convinced me not to go down to the house that day. It is horribly depressing with destruction everywhere and the anxiety of the four 60-foot pines leaning towards the house. Since I had internet at their home for the first time in days I applied for FEMA and began to deal with the necessities of life. There are so many problems. My local bank is closed. I cannot make a deposit to cover automatic withdrawals among other problems.
On Tuesday now a week later, my handyman called to see how I was doing. When I told him the situation he said he would come down to look at the trees. When he got there, he was alarmed and told me that if the trees go the whole house is going down. We began packing everything in earnest and spent the entire day packing up my valuables, clothes, books, my 20 years of work, computer, printer, family heirlooms and the like and moving them to my friends’ farm. We moved all the old family furniture in the house into a corner of the living room and covered it with tarps. There are still things in the house that I would like to get out but I did not have the strength on Wednesday to deal with it alone.
Today, Thursday the 24 of September I still do not have power or water. I have not heard from my insurance company. The local tree company guys who helped me after Ivan came down and told me the trees need to come down immediately. I trust their judgment. They knew my grandparents and my parents and they are some of the best people in the area. It is going to be expensive because the situation is dangerous. The trees are on the edge of the bluff and there is no room for a bucket truck or crane to get to them easily. It will be as much as $2500 a tree and possibly more. They want to take them down immediately hopefully in the morning or Monday at the latest. I need to raise $10,000 as soon as possible.
Once that crisis is solved I am going to need money to pay people to help me clean up the property which will take months. I will also need money for the gap between what things will really cost to repair and what I will be able to get out of the insurance company which could easily be another $10,000. However, the immediate crisis is getting the trees down.
I am an independent person and to ask for help is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. The other difficult part of this disaster is to lose time from my work. I love what I do and it is the part of my life that helps me survive financially and keeps me sane and happy.
I am lucky to know people in different parts of the country. Everyone has been asking how they can help. I know that some of you are going through difficulties as well and even a small amount from many people will make a difference. I am grateful to everyone who has been supporting me through this terrible experience.
In lieu of actually being there to help move boxes out of her house, we've set up this GoFundMe to help raise money to address the dangerous situation she's in with the uprooted trees on her property, some of which are threatening her main living structure.
It all adds up, so if you have a couple of bucks to spare we can help her make sure she's got a safe space to live.
Here's a note from Nicky:
I am in danger of losing my home as a result of Hurricane Sally. There are four 60-80 foot trees leaning towards the house that are cracked at the bottom and could go any moment. This is a disaster area. We still do not have power or water down here. Taking the trees down will be expensive because they are huge, dangerous, near the edge of the bluff and will require large equipment. It will cost at least $10,000 and possibly more.
On Tuesday September 15, almost 16 years to the day when Hurricane Ivan barreled up Perdido Bay--the Alabama/Florida line, I was unsure whether to stay or evacuate. The forecast at the time did not seem as if those of us in that area were in imminent danger. However, I felt to be on the safe side I would board the front of my house—all windows facing the bay, Perdido Key a slim piece of land between me and the Gulf of Mexico.
The house was built as a beach cottage in the early 1950s by my maternal grandfather, an engineer for South Central Bell. It sits on a 40-foot bluff surrounded by ancient pines many over 60 feet tall. He designed it to weather hurricanes with double bracing throughout and used heart of pine, which is so strong it is difficult to drive nails into it for hanging pictures and anything of that nature. The foundation is concrete and the house has not moved an inch in 65 years. Granddaddy kept the roofline low to prevent damage to the roof from winds that come from the Gulf. In the 1970s the house was slightly enlarged and the porch that ran the entire length of the house was enclosed. I have been in this house most of my life and inherited it in 2000.
I have mostly rented the house in the summers and used it in the winter. Two years ago, it was necessary for me to move back and live there for what I thought would be a year at most. Due to COVID, I had to stay here in order to be safely isolated. I have no other home. Most of my life is packed away in storage. I brought some of the treasures acquired through a lifetime and also brought my work—20 years of research files and books relating to my paternal grandfather, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, founder of DC Comics. I published a book in 2018 through Hermes Press—DC Comics Before Superman, contributed to a reprint published by DC this year of his first comic New Fun #1. I am in the process of writing a full biography with the manuscript near completion. I am not retired and make a living as a writer and lecturer.
In the late afternoon Tuesday the 15th, the storm was downgraded to a Category 1 and appeared to be headed to the west of me. My electricity was still on Tuesday evening but I decided to sleep in the living room with my clothes on in case of emergency. I woke around 2:30 am Wednesday morning to the lights still on but with a loud roaring sound. I grabbed some pillows, water, a flashlight, my phone, the noaa radio and my cat, Major Davies and shut us into the tiny hallway in the middle of the house which has no windows.
Major and I spent 4 hours in the hallway while the roaring continued nonstop. I could feel the house shuddering when I leaned against the door frames. At times the hatch to the crawlspace above would lift and I thought the roof would come off. I made sure Major had his collar and tags in case the worst should happen, at least he might survive and be rescued. I truly thought I would be sucked up into the storm. It was the most frightening experience of my life and I am still quite shaken. I am alive because my Granddaddy was so wise in the way the house was built over 65 years ago.
When I ventured out of the hallway Wednesday morning I could tell from the windows in the back which were not boarded that there was likely a lot of damage. I spent most of Wednesday in a daze doing little as it was still blowing quite heavily and I was obviously in shock. There was no power, the house was dark and the sky was dark all day. When I went outside late Wednesday afternoon once the wind began to die down there was devastation everywhere. Most of the rest of the huge pines left after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 are down, the driveway appeared to be impassable and it looked as if a tornado went over the house and touched down in the backyard and tore through the rest of the 5 acres. The whole area looks like a war zone. I could see the 4 large pines in the front were leaning but I thought they might miss the house if they fell or at most hit the northernmost wall.
On Thursday, still with no power or water, I called my insurance company to report damage to the roof and to see if they would do anything about the 4 pines in front leaning towards the roof, which they will not. I attempted to walk to the road down the driveway which is a 1/4 of a mile through woods but I could not get through. It was indeed impassable. I started texting everyone I knew to let them know I could not get out and finally got help to cut through the drive in the afternoon. It took 4 men until Friday mid-morning to cut a way through for me. When they reached the house on Friday everyone told me I needed to get out. That the trees leaning towards the house could fall and take the house and me with it.
I panicked and started moving things out of the bedroom into the opposite side of the house. A tree company from out of the area came down and looked at the trees and quoted me $10,000. I almost fainted. He also told me the trees were dangerous. I thought I would sleep in the side of the house away from the trees and hope for the best. I still had no power and no water. A friend who owns a farm about 12 miles from me, called and told me they had power and that I should get Major and come there. I was so dazed that I said I would think about it. Finally, as the darkness settled in, I realized I needed to get out of there. I drove there and spent the night, had the first real food in days, got a shower and tried to calm down.
Saturday, people who own beach houses on the bluff began to show up. The consensus from everyone is that the trees could easily fall on the house with the next thunderstorm or if the ground gets too wet. I do not have that kind of money available and I felt confused and uncertain of what to do. There was still no power or water. Once again, I spent time attempting to move as much as I could to the opposite end of the house.
Sunday, I managed to get gas for my car as there has been a gas and food shortage here, which seems to be easing up. I went back to the house and continued trying to protect as much as I could in case the trees fall. There was still no power and water.
On Monday I was able to move to a friend who is only 5 miles away as they now had power. When I got to their home Monday afternoon, I broke down and they convinced me not to go down to the house that day. It is horribly depressing with destruction everywhere and the anxiety of the four 60-foot pines leaning towards the house. Since I had internet at their home for the first time in days I applied for FEMA and began to deal with the necessities of life. There are so many problems. My local bank is closed. I cannot make a deposit to cover automatic withdrawals among other problems.
On Tuesday now a week later, my handyman called to see how I was doing. When I told him the situation he said he would come down to look at the trees. When he got there, he was alarmed and told me that if the trees go the whole house is going down. We began packing everything in earnest and spent the entire day packing up my valuables, clothes, books, my 20 years of work, computer, printer, family heirlooms and the like and moving them to my friends’ farm. We moved all the old family furniture in the house into a corner of the living room and covered it with tarps. There are still things in the house that I would like to get out but I did not have the strength on Wednesday to deal with it alone.
Today, Thursday the 24 of September I still do not have power or water. I have not heard from my insurance company. The local tree company guys who helped me after Ivan came down and told me the trees need to come down immediately. I trust their judgment. They knew my grandparents and my parents and they are some of the best people in the area. It is going to be expensive because the situation is dangerous. The trees are on the edge of the bluff and there is no room for a bucket truck or crane to get to them easily. It will be as much as $2500 a tree and possibly more. They want to take them down immediately hopefully in the morning or Monday at the latest. I need to raise $10,000 as soon as possible.
Once that crisis is solved I am going to need money to pay people to help me clean up the property which will take months. I will also need money for the gap between what things will really cost to repair and what I will be able to get out of the insurance company which could easily be another $10,000. However, the immediate crisis is getting the trees down.
I am an independent person and to ask for help is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. The other difficult part of this disaster is to lose time from my work. I love what I do and it is the part of my life that helps me survive financially and keeps me sane and happy.
I am lucky to know people in different parts of the country. Everyone has been asking how they can help. I know that some of you are going through difficulties as well and even a small amount from many people will make a difference. I am grateful to everyone who has been supporting me through this terrible experience.
Fundraising team: Team Nicky (3)
Jessica Coville
Organizer
Cotati, CA
Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson
Beneficiary
Pat Jordan
Team member
