‘We found our way through it all’: Non-profits helping N.S. wildfire victims without home insurance
One year after Phil Fizzard and Sue Reid’s home was destroyed in the Hammonds Plains wildfire, they are one step closer to rebuilding what they lost.
Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, the Canadian Red Cross, and other non-profit organizations are partnering to help the couple and eight other under-insured families rebuild.
It’s something they never could have imagined would happen.
“We come and seen this mess, all I wanted to do was crawl on that (house) foundation and die,” said Fizzard.
He says the organizations have now given them the hope they lost.
The couple bought their home on Hummingbird Lane 11 years ago. They, and their three cats, immediately fell in love with the neighbourhood.
But in May 2023, a fast-moving wildfire swept through that neighbourhood and destroyed the home they had made together.
“We weren’t even dressed. I threw my pants on, told her to grab the cats, and we had to get out,” Fizzard recalled.
Reid remembers the sense of urgency they all felt, and the moments of desperation as they drove away from their home.
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“By the time we got into our cars and on the road to go, the smoke was so thick you couldn’t see in front of you,” she said.
The couple says 2023 was the only year the house’s insurance policy wasn’t renewed, because of a required upgrade.
They reached out to Habitat for Humanity for help, and in about four months time, they will be homeowners again. They’ll also play an important role in building that house.
“Requirements for Habitat homeowners is that they do complete 500 volunteer hours. So between, family, friends, neighbours … they’ll have 50 hours of building on their home,” said Donna Williamson, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia.
Reid says they’re looking forward to making new memories and forging ahead.
“You hear of these organizations and you never know. And once we were connected with them, they were amazing. We found our way through it all, and here we are today,” she said.
