Family who lost 11 in Hurricane Helene mudslides says community sacrificed ‘life and limb’ to save each other

FAIRVIEW, North Carolina – Members of a long history family in Fairview, North Carolinaare struggling to rebuild their lives after 13 people in their community, including 11 relatives, died in a single morning when Hurricane Helene swept through Appalachia.

Two weeks after three mudslides decimated homes in the small valley — nicknamed “Craigtown” because of residents’ ties to the Craig family who have lived in the area for 80 years — Jesse Craig and his wife, Mekenzie Craig, are picking up the pieces of Helene’s devastation.

“It literally feels like our world has been turned upside down,” Mekenzie Craig told Fox News Digital on Sunday.

Her husband, Jesse, lost both of his parents, two of his cousins, his aunt and uncle, and his great-aunt and uncle in a mudslide on a single path through the Craigtown Valley, formerly known as of Garren Creek. Three other relatives of Craig and two others unrelated to the family perished in the mudslides, including a firefighter who was working to save others.

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“There were a lot of heroic acts here that day from a lot of different people,” Jesse said. “It shows what a tight-knit family we are, how tight-knit this community is and how much we love each other.”

Jesse and Mekenzie survived their own harrowing night when Helene caused a tree to fall on their house and two cars. Later that same day, around 5 p.m., Jesse’s brother received a call – miraculously – to let him know that their family members had been swept away by the storm.

“They’re gone,” Jesse’s brother said over the phone, in shock. “They have no chance of surviving this.”

Mekenzie said there was no way they could have been prepared for what happened to their family. Part of Jesse’s parents’ house – the kitchen – is still completely intact. If they had been in another room of their house, they might have survived, she said.

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In their own home in Fletcher, a town near Fairview, Mekenzie and Jesse were receiving flood alerts on their phones on the night of September 27.

“But we’ve already had some. It’s not like we’ve never had a flood warning before,” she said. “But we obviously didn’t expect it to be as horrible and catastrophic as this time- here. Nobody expected this. »

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There was also no evacuation notice, the couple added.

More than 250 people died in several states during the hurricane, including 90 people in North Carolina alone. An unknown number of people are still missing.

In the first days following the storm, more than a million people were without power. Linemen worked 16 to 17 hours a day to restore power, especially in hard-to-reach mountainous areas, where power lines and telephone poles were mangled by thick brush and mud along steep slopes.

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Jesse’s father was an avid gardener, and the potatoes he grew before the storm can be seen poking out of the mud scattered across the valley where healthy grass and trees once grew.

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Amid destroyed homes, mangled cars and orange “X” symbols spray-painted on trees and rocks where authorities found bodies a few days after Hélène’s visitthe leaves begin to take on vibrant colors. A small stream that was ripped from its banks during the storm flows gently and grasshoppers chirp as if nothing happened two weeks ago.

“I was born and raised here in this little community. This is my whole family. My grandfather bought this land a long time ago,” Jesse said. “So I grew up here, and it was such a beautiful, wonderful little place in the mountains, you know? It was safe. We just had a wonderful childhood. Growing up, you had a close-knit community.”

Mekenzie and Jesse are still reeling from the loss of their family and home.

“We see it, but your mind just can’t make sense of it. You don’t think it’s real. You can’t understand the gravity of what happened,” Jesse said.

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They tried to stay busy. In the two weeks after September 27, Jesse and Mekenzie got up every morning, brushed their teeth with water bottles when they ran out of water, and drove to Craigtown, which used to be 20 minutes from their home but is now an hour away. -a long drive and sorted through the debris, looking for the belongings of their loved ones who survived the storm.

Jesse noted that Cooper, his parents’ 8-year-old golden retriever, survived the storm. They found him at home, still in his cage, because he didn’t want to leave after the storm destroyed almost everything.

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But in the face of shock and overwhelming tragedy, Jesse and Mekenzie expressed deep gratitude to those who stepped up to help, including their local community and people across the country who offered help.

“Residents, first responders and different fire departments from all over the South, all over the East Coast, came out to help us,” Jesse said. “And we spent a lot of time with them and got to know a lot of them personally because we were here together, and they’re just incredible people.”

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Mekenzie described a local Baptist church as a “Dollar General” because it was full of supplies. They were handed a bucket as they entered the church to collect food or other necessities they needed.

A GoFundMe titled “Supporting the Craig Family After a Tragic Loss” aims to help the Craig family cover funeral costs for 11 people, rebuilding costs and medical costs.

“That’s all we really need is financial help. We’ve been overwhelmed with so many people coming from all over the country loaded down with supplies. It’s unbelievable,” Mekenzie said. “You can walk into almost any church in this area, and there are literally grocery stores in these churches.”

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The couple encourages anyone who needs help to seek out a local entity that has food, supplies and other needed resources.

“Find a local entity and go,” Jesse said. “They’ll give you whatever you need. Most have plenty of it. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help if you need it.”

Help those affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton. Your donation allows the Red Cross to prepare, respond and help people recover from these disasters. Go to redcross.org/foxforward.

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