WALLBACK, W.Va. — At age 98, Ethyl Nichols of Wallback has just about seen it all, so it’s going to take a lot more than high water to scare her.
“It never scared me a bit,” she said. “I’m used to water a running. I ain’t a bit afraid as long as I can see a little place to get out.”
It’s doubtful Ethyl saw much on the dark and stormy night of June 23rd when waters in the creek along side her house came out of their banks and caused widespread destruction along Route 36. Amazingly, although the water was up in her yard and around some of her house, it never got into the living area.
“No, no, it never was up to my steps,” she said. “I just stayed in the house.”
In fact, Ethyl was in bed asleep. She slept through most of the storm since she has hearing difficulties and wasn’t even awake until there was a crash just outside her back door which jarred her whole house and rousted her from her sleep.
“That was old Andy Meadows’ kitchen. It came over here,” she said. “I was here when it came in and I didn’t know what it was. I just went and opened the door and looked.”
Her neighbor’s home floated off the foundation, travelled downstream about 100 feet, and struck Ethyl’s home.
Ethyl’s daughter lives nearby and said her husband went to check on her elderly mother at the height of the storm. The visit in the middle of the night prompted Ethyl to say, “What are you doing up here at this time of night?”
There was very little damage to Ethyl’s home from the water. It’s unclear how much damage was done when the house washed in. An outbuilding and all of the contents were destroyed by the flood.