Lorraine's Lost Lake (Wixom Flooding)
Donation protected
The first photo of my mom, Lorraine Rottman, has to be the most devastating for me, seeing her looking lost in the middle of what is left of her home.-Nothing.
Many of you have already heard about the devastation on Wixom lake.
My mother (Lorraine) has had a place on this lake for over 75 years. This home has seen many changes, has hosted many joyous occasions. It was built in 1945 by my uncle Edward Davert; he was a young man trying to support his family, so he decided to sell the cabin to his parents Joseph and Lottie Davert. Lottie and Joe Hosted many good times with friends and family at this little cinder block place, at that time there was no running water or indoor plumbing just a lot of friends sharing stories and making memories. I remember as a child fishing for bluegill, drinking the water from the old pump well (it was always so cold and tasted amazing), being scared of the daddy long legs in the outhouse, listening to my grandfather play the accordion while friends and family sang, and just being at the lake and enjoying what it had to offer. Every time we pulled up reading the sign above the door, greeting us, "Lottie and Joe Dis is da Place." My parents purchased this little slice of paradise in 1980 from my grandparents.
My father Joe loved this place; he was there every chance he got, making it into his retirement retreat. He put an addition on for a bathroom (yeah no daddy long legs) and a kitchen, we had running water and a place to clean up, as a teenager these are important things! There was so much togetherness at this little place that many family members bought homes around us to be together. Unfortunately, my father never got to retire here; he died at the 1986 Albright Shores Ice carnival. But it was this place that was the savior for my mom Lorraine during that horrible time in her life. Losing her husband still trying to guide two young adult children, she worked part-time at Sears, so when the Midland mall was opening, she took the job as the receiving manager at Sears in 1990. She couldn't believe the place she would never retire at; she was on her way, packing up and moving north.
When Lorraine moved to Wixom lake, she remodeled the kitchen, put on a family room enclosed the loft to save on heat, she hosted many fourth of July parties, turtle races, made many friends, lost many friends, she has cried and cheered. Still, I believe she would not change any of it because the good memories do outweigh the bad, and in her heart, she knows "Lottie and Joe this is the Place."
Now this place is on the verge of being gone forever; it wasn't in a flood plain, so there was no flood insurance. When my mother called me Monday night saying that the water was high, I never imagined. She indicated her toilet wouldn't flush, then a half-hour later she called telling me she was evacuated, When my mom got to my home she was hysterical and crying saying "the water was up to my knees!" I thought to myself maybe she stepped in a hole surely the water wasn't up to her knees. I continued to think, okay, the water is up a little, but we would be okay. Unfortunately, that was not the case; the water was up to her knees. Had she not gotten out then who knows what would have happened to her; the county did not lower Wixom lake instead used it as a spillway to try and relieve some of the pressure from a dam that was in desperate need of repair, they didn't warn the residents around the lake. They just let the water continue to rise to devast a community that never seen a flood. These residences didn't need to or carry flood insurance; this area wasn't considered a flood plain. If the residences would have known that the spillway wasn't large enough to support a flood, or insurance companies should have encouraged homeowners to purchase flood insurance, why didn't the county rezone the area a flood plane? Instead Since 2004, the county was in a battle with the owners about the dam; owners that were cited many times about the size of the spillway instead they said “That size of a flood was considered a once-every-500-years flood.” Well, it has only been 34 years; the country is shut down.
If the residences of Wixom Lake, or Sanford Lake do not receive funding there will be no more summers like we once knew there will be no reason to get the dam fixed, all of the homes will be left to rot along side a muddy grave, it will become a ghost town. The boats will go somewhere else and Midland will be devasted. And unfortunately, Lottie and Joe This is not the place.
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/mid-michigan-dam-failed-was-cited-years-safety-violations
We understand what a difficult and uncertain time this is for everyone, and we realize that there are many individuals and groups in need. If you’re in a position to support us we would be extremely grateful to receive that help, any donation to this campaign will contribute to the resources we need to address the immediate problem at hand, to help this horrible situation, any funding beyond our goal will be used to aid other residents in this same situation to help the area rebuild and to also help to support the future of this community. If you could let others know about this campaign, we would appreciate that very immensely, too
Many of you have already heard about the devastation on Wixom lake.
My mother (Lorraine) has had a place on this lake for over 75 years. This home has seen many changes, has hosted many joyous occasions. It was built in 1945 by my uncle Edward Davert; he was a young man trying to support his family, so he decided to sell the cabin to his parents Joseph and Lottie Davert. Lottie and Joe Hosted many good times with friends and family at this little cinder block place, at that time there was no running water or indoor plumbing just a lot of friends sharing stories and making memories. I remember as a child fishing for bluegill, drinking the water from the old pump well (it was always so cold and tasted amazing), being scared of the daddy long legs in the outhouse, listening to my grandfather play the accordion while friends and family sang, and just being at the lake and enjoying what it had to offer. Every time we pulled up reading the sign above the door, greeting us, "Lottie and Joe Dis is da Place." My parents purchased this little slice of paradise in 1980 from my grandparents.
My father Joe loved this place; he was there every chance he got, making it into his retirement retreat. He put an addition on for a bathroom (yeah no daddy long legs) and a kitchen, we had running water and a place to clean up, as a teenager these are important things! There was so much togetherness at this little place that many family members bought homes around us to be together. Unfortunately, my father never got to retire here; he died at the 1986 Albright Shores Ice carnival. But it was this place that was the savior for my mom Lorraine during that horrible time in her life. Losing her husband still trying to guide two young adult children, she worked part-time at Sears, so when the Midland mall was opening, she took the job as the receiving manager at Sears in 1990. She couldn't believe the place she would never retire at; she was on her way, packing up and moving north.
When Lorraine moved to Wixom lake, she remodeled the kitchen, put on a family room enclosed the loft to save on heat, she hosted many fourth of July parties, turtle races, made many friends, lost many friends, she has cried and cheered. Still, I believe she would not change any of it because the good memories do outweigh the bad, and in her heart, she knows "Lottie and Joe this is the Place."
Now this place is on the verge of being gone forever; it wasn't in a flood plain, so there was no flood insurance. When my mother called me Monday night saying that the water was high, I never imagined. She indicated her toilet wouldn't flush, then a half-hour later she called telling me she was evacuated, When my mom got to my home she was hysterical and crying saying "the water was up to my knees!" I thought to myself maybe she stepped in a hole surely the water wasn't up to her knees. I continued to think, okay, the water is up a little, but we would be okay. Unfortunately, that was not the case; the water was up to her knees. Had she not gotten out then who knows what would have happened to her; the county did not lower Wixom lake instead used it as a spillway to try and relieve some of the pressure from a dam that was in desperate need of repair, they didn't warn the residents around the lake. They just let the water continue to rise to devast a community that never seen a flood. These residences didn't need to or carry flood insurance; this area wasn't considered a flood plain. If the residences would have known that the spillway wasn't large enough to support a flood, or insurance companies should have encouraged homeowners to purchase flood insurance, why didn't the county rezone the area a flood plane? Instead Since 2004, the county was in a battle with the owners about the dam; owners that were cited many times about the size of the spillway instead they said “That size of a flood was considered a once-every-500-years flood.” Well, it has only been 34 years; the country is shut down.
If the residences of Wixom Lake, or Sanford Lake do not receive funding there will be no more summers like we once knew there will be no reason to get the dam fixed, all of the homes will be left to rot along side a muddy grave, it will become a ghost town. The boats will go somewhere else and Midland will be devasted. And unfortunately, Lottie and Joe This is not the place.
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/mid-michigan-dam-failed-was-cited-years-safety-violations
We understand what a difficult and uncertain time this is for everyone, and we realize that there are many individuals and groups in need. If you’re in a position to support us we would be extremely grateful to receive that help, any donation to this campaign will contribute to the resources we need to address the immediate problem at hand, to help this horrible situation, any funding beyond our goal will be used to aid other residents in this same situation to help the area rebuild and to also help to support the future of this community. If you could let others know about this campaign, we would appreciate that very immensely, too
Organizer
Lynn Evans
Organizer
Billings, MI
