October 1, 2003
Bell Family Put To The Test
It’s
in their genes. They come from a long line of fighters. "We just pick
ourselves up, dust off our britches and go on," Joyce Bell said.
The family motto is being put to the test in a greater fashion than ever imagined. The events of that rarely-seen stormy night almost two Thursdays ago, when Hurricane Isabel surprised many Powhatan residents with its immensely strong winds and torrential rains, will not easily fade for the Bells.
Joyce’s husband of 31 years, Levitt, is a long distance truck driver. While weather reports were preparing everyone along the southeast coast for a roaring hurricane, Levitt told Joyce he would remain in Pennsylvania, where it was safe instead of driving towards the storm.
He didn’t. "I wanted to get home to my family and I didn’t want Joyce to worry." Levitt said until Joyce answered the telephone call from Johnston-Willis Hospital, she had no idea he was on the road.
"We agreed he would stay up north were it was safe." Joyce answered the phone and the hospital told her Levitt was in an accident. "I asked if he was all right and they said he had a couple of cuts."
Dodging fallen trees, swerving around branches and trying to make their way to Route 60 with extremely limited visibility, Joyce and one of her daughters somehow traveled to the hospital. They arrived in the midst of the storm, at about 9 p.m.
Amazingly, Joyce said, the hospital’s call was the last call that came through that night. The phones went dead immediately after the call. "It was almost like an angel made the call come through," she said.
Well, Levitt did not simply sustain some cuts, his scalp was, basically, peeled off and his right eyelid was severely damaged. Joyce said it was horrible. "When I saw him, the doctor was holding stuff on his head and it was saturated with blood. All I had time to say was ‘hi baby’, then they made me sign all sorts of papers. It was horrible. I saw stuff in him I had no business seeing."
Surprisingly, Levitt remembers almost every detail of his plight. He said while pinned down on the floor of his tractor trailer, he kept kicking to find an opening. "I knew I had to get out. I knew I was bleeding badly because my T-shirt was soaked with blood." In the weeks before the storm, Levitt had been experiencing heart problems and was currently on blood thinners so he understood the serious nature of his dilemma.
Soon, he felt a cool breeze, it was a hole and he climbed out. "Then I heard a man shout, ‘man, you need some help.’" Levitt said he recognized the voice immediately, it was a longtime friend, Jack May.
Jack told Levitt that he heard a noise and saw the truck. He knew he had to act fast because Levitt was in a ditch that was full of water.
Through the beating rain and powerful winds, the old friend helped the man into his hardware store in Flatrock. Until Levitt gave his name, Jack did not recognize the man he had known for more than 20 years.
Levitt recalled that Jack waved down a Sheriff’s deputy who called for assistance. "Jack says he’s no hero, but for my wife and my family, he’s a true blue hero. I don’t want to take anything away from the fire department and rescue squad, but anyone who knows Jack knows he’s no regular person."
Levitt believes he would have died if not for his old friend. In the dark at the shop, Jack lit a lantern and felt his way through the store to retrieve a foam mattress for Levitt. "He put his life on the line for me."
But, Levitt did not realize how serious his condition was until his wife walked into the emergency room and responded with "Oh my gosh" because he said Jack stayed calm the entire time.
Currently, Levitt is also troubled with his eye sight. He is a truck driver and if he loses some sight, he may not be able to pass the transportation test, so he may have to give up his lifelong career. "Driving a truck is all I know, it is all I’ve ever done," he said.
After a four-day stay in intensive care, the Bell family learned the patient would be moved to a private room. While waiting for the room, the telephone rang. Joyce was immediately upset, but told Levitt she had to go because her dog, a buff-colored Cocker Spaniel, was injured. "He knows how much I love Laddie, so he understood why I was upset." What she did not tell her husband was that it wasn’t the dog that concerned her, it was their home. The house was burning down.
Joyce arrived at their 100-plus year old home to see neighbors all about, firefighters everywhere and the remains of the home drenched in thick smoke, with occasional flames.
Everything was lost. The Bells have four children, three grown and a 17-year-old daughter at home. One of their sons went to the hospital to break the news to his father. "The insurance adjuster said it was a total loss." Levitt added that the state inspector determined that the fire started with a short in the stove, but that the stove was off at the time.
Through tears, Joyce said when she arrived at the house she just screamed and screamed for her dog. Laddie was a gift from Levitt for Valentine’s Day almost two years ago. She said the little dog was a part of her and can’t believe her little companion is gone. "We were like two peas in a pod," she said.
Besides the family pet, the Bell’s lost everything in the home. Joyce said the house was furnished with family heirlooms dating back to great-great grandparents. "Different things brought different, nice memories to me. These things can’t be replaced."
For example, Joyce said there was a cradle that was in her family for generations. "How do you get that back? You don’t," she said.
As Joyce sifts through the ashes listing bits and pieces of items for the insurance claim, occasionally she runs across an item untouched by the heat, smoke or flames. She found a photo album containing family pictures throughout a few generations.
However, according to the insurance company, the home was underinsured. "So even though we will be able to rebuild, we won’t be able to rebuild what we have now," she said.
Although the family has started from scratch before, Joyce said being middle-aged will make it more difficult. Remarkably, Joyce is thankful.
She said all that really matters is family. The Bell’s married after knowing each other six weeks, she was 15 and he was 20.
"It was right." Now 31 years later, they have beat many challenges throughout the years.
Joyce said about 15 years ago when Levitt starting to drive his truck as an independent driver, they lost everything and had to start over. They have also experienced two miscarriages.
"That’s why when we had our fourth child, we said whether it’s a boy or girl, the name will be Chance." Joyce said
Although the family’s home was destroyed along with all of their possessions, Joyce said family is everything. "Family is the only thing in life you can keep. Can’t nobody take them from you. We have always kept our family together and we always come out on top," she said.
Also emotionally moved by the Bell’s experience was Powhatan County Administrator Carolyn Cios. By chance, she was at the fire house when the call came through. She was invited to go along for the ride.When she arrived at the scene of the fire, she quickly learned that the home belonged to Levitt Bell, the man she had heard about on the night of the hurricane. "It just seemed like too much tragedy for one family to have to deal with. My heart goes out to them," she said.
Cios said a fund has been established at Central Virginia Bank to raise money to assist the Bell family. "It’s times like this when the community truly comes together."
Cios added that school children are raising money for the Bells and anyone interested in making a donation may do so at the bank.