Residents from western North Carolina say they are lucky to be alive after devastating flooding during Hurricane Helene.
YANCEY COUNTY, N.C. – As residents continue the painstaking process of trying to piece together their lives following Hurricane Helene, a couple from hard-hit western North Carolina is sharing their story of survival.
Howard and Lisa Ray lived in a home near the Cane River, north of Asheville, when, in late September, the storm system started dumping torrential rainfall.
“It was probably 9:30 that morning when we looked out, and the water was maybe three feet away. And then, like, in 15 minutes, we looked out again, and our porch was gone,” Lisa told FOX Weather.
Minutes later, Lisa said the kitchen started filling with water, and a couch was one of the last pieces of furniture visible above the waterline.
After calling for help via a radio communication system, Lisa said their trailer broke into pieces, allowing the couple to float away while clinging to the couch.
“We floated for about 400 yards, and he told me to jump. And I jumped and wrapped my arm around the barbed wire fence,” Lisa stated.
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The area where the Rainbow Bridge and Dog Garden stood before Helene. (Reprinted with permission from the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge)
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Flooding in Mikum Leah Webster’s neighborhood after Hurricane Helene. (Mikum Leah Webster)
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Damage left behind in Keaton Beach, Florida on Sept. 28, 2024 in the wake of Hurricane Helene. (Robert Ray)
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A van is partially submerged in the Swannanoa River in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. According to reports, more than 60 people have been killed across the South due to the storm, and millions have been left without power. North Carolina has been approved for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration. (Sean Rayford)
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CHIMNEY ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 2: A damaged property stands in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 2, 2024 in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 140 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the storm, according to published reports, which made landfall as a category 4 storm on Thursday. Millions are without power and the federal government has declared major disasters in areas of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states, according to the reports. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ( )
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Destroyed homes are seen in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, October 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. (ALLISON JOYCE/AFP)
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Destroyed buildings in Bat Cave, North Carolina. One of the buildings has crumbled into the river below. (Mario Tama)
HELENE CAUSED AT LEAST $53 BILLION IN DAMAGE IN NORTH CAROLINA, GOVERNOR SAYS
Howard said help eventually arrived several hours later, but it would be days before he and his wife returned to their property to survey the damage and look for their missing dog.
“Two days later, she had come back to where we broke into the garage to get to our jeep. And there she was. I’ve never seen her smile until then,” Lisa stated.
Ray’s home, along with many in the rural region of Pensacola, North Carolina, was a complete loss as feet of water streamed into rivers and tributaries.
The couple is temporarily staying in an Airbnb organized by their preacher until they decide on what to do next.
According to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nearly every property impacted by floodwaters in North Carolina does not have an active flood insurance policy, which will make the recovery process even more extensive.
“Wherever God leads us is where we’ll go,” Lisa told FOX Weather.
Lance Edwards, Vice President of Community Impact, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, joins FOX Weather to share how the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County is supporting the ongoing recovery efforts in North Carolina following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
HELENE DEATH TOLL SURPASSES 100 IN NORTH CAROLINA
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 100 people died in connection with the storm, with the majority of the victims from around Asheville and Buncombe County.
The state’s governor estimated damage totals at around $53 billion, making Helene the costliest natural disaster in North Carolina history.
“This storm left a trail of destruction in our beautiful mountains that we will not soon forget, but I know the people of Western North Carolina are determined to build back better than ever. These initial funds are a good start, but the staggering amount of damage shows we are very much on the front end of this recovery effort,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement during the storm’s aftermath.