A Virginia couple was on their way home through the North Carolina Mountains when they were hit by Hurricane Helen.
On Thursday's episode of “The Faulkner Focus,” Alan and Kelly Keffer narrowly escaped a mudslide along an interstate in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
“I looked out the window and saw the mountains coming down, along with the trees and rocks,” Alan told host Harris Faulkner.
Hurricane Helen: North Carolinians fight to survive as essential goods run out
“I turned around in the car and saw mud on the door, and I kept looking back and saw the glass was broken,” Kelly said as a wall of dirt collapsed onto the highway.
Hurricane Helen made landfall last Thursday as a Category 4 storm, but quickly hurtled toward the Carolinas. The storm brought unprecedented flooding and landslides to western North Carolina over the weekend.
Since the worst of the storm Friday morning, local and state officials, as well as local and out-of-state volunteer rescue groups such as Boone-based Samaritan's Purse and Louisiana-based Cajun Navy 2016, have been working to deploy personnel. Ta. Climb steep mountain passes severely damaged by Helen in western North Carolina. (Samaritan's Purse)
The Keffers are driving home from vacation when they become embroiled in Helen's wrath.
“I thought it was going to be a little rainy, maybe windy, but it was going to be OK. And then I got on Interstate 40 and for the first time, oh, I see trees being downed. We're closed. “It's happening,” Alan said.
He added that the pair were only driving about 35 miles per hour due to heavy rain.
“As soon as I saw it, I stepped on the gas pedal and the first thing I thought was, this is going to hurt, and three seconds later it was over,” Alan said.
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“It was pretty scary because I didn't know what was going on. I just heard everything hit the car and it sounded like that, so I thought it was a big rock. And the roof We were expecting it to cave in. So we're very lucky to have survived that and very grateful to the others who survived,” Kelly said.
Kelly added that there were no major injuries from the specific landslide.
The death toll from the hurricane is at least 200, and that number is expected to rise in the coming weeks as authorities continue their response. Rescue and recovery efforts.
Alan and Kelly Keffer of Virginia share their story of surviving a landslide in the mountains of North Carolina. (Alan and Kelly Keffer/Fox News)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) arrived in western North Carolina on Monday after Gov. Roy Cooper announced that President Biden had authorized federal resources.
Since the worst of the storm Friday morning, local and state officials, as well as local and out-of-state volunteer rescue groups such as Boone-based Samaritan's Purse and Louisiana-based Cajun Navy 2016, have been working to deploy personnel. Ta. We drive up steep mountain passes that were severely damaged by Helen in western North Carolina.
Rescue teams were also dispatched to eastern Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and parts of Florida, which were also devastated by the storm.
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“We just can't imagine what they're going through. We made it out of there safe, but a lot of people didn't. And we just went to the area, We're continuing to remove all the rescue teams that are coming in, all the supplies that are being delivered to those areas, so we're just praying for safety and lifting,” Kelly said.
Helen's death toll The number of cases in North Carolina and Tennessee is unclear as authorities continue to respond and contact families before releasing official numbers, but a lack of data roaming and cell phone service makes that difficult. .
Fox News' Stephen Sorace and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
