Fairview, North Carolina – Members of a longtime family in Fairview, North Carolina, are trying to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Helen killed 13 people in the area, 11 of them immediate family members, one morning as it pummeled the Appalachian Mountains.
Two weeks after three landslides destroyed homes in the small valley, known as “Craigtown” because of the residents' ties to the Craig family, who have lived in the area for 80 years, Jesse Craig and his wife Mekenzie Craig picks up the wreckage. Helen's misfortune.
“It's literally like our world has been turned upside down,” Mekenzie Craig told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
Her husband, Jesse, lost his parents, two cousins, an aunt and uncle, and a great-uncle and aunt in a mudslide on the single-road road through Craigtown Gorge, officially known as Galen Creek. Three of Craig's relatives and two others unrelated to the family also died in the landslide, including a firefighter who was trying to rescue them.
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Jesse and Mekenzie Craig lost 11 members of their family in a landslide caused by Hurricane Helen in Fairview, North Carolina. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
“There were a lot of heroic acts by different people here that day,” Jesse said. “It shows what a close-knit family we are, how close-knit this community is, and how much we love each other.”
“People were sacrificing life and limb.”
Jesse and Mekenzie survive a harrowing night when Helen knocks down a tree on both their house and car. Around 5pm that day, Jesse's brother miraculously called to let him know that his family had been swept away by the storm.
Mekenzie Craig dusts off the mud from her wedding photo that survived the Sept. 27 mudslide that killed her in-laws. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
“They're gone,” Jesse's brother said over the phone, shocked. “There's no way they can survive that.”
Mekenzie said there was no way they could have been prepared for what happened to their family. The kitchen, part of Jesse's family home, is still completely intact. If they had been in another room of the house, they might have survived, she says.
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Part of Jesse Craig's family home remains intact. If they had been in another room of the house, they might have survived, Mekenzie Craig said. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
At their home in Fletcher, just beyond Fairview, Mekenzie and Jesse received a flood warning on their cellphones on the night of September 27th.
”But we've been through something like that before. It’s not like we haven’t had flood warnings before,” she said. No one expected this. ”
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Jesse Craig found an American flag buried in rubble near his family's home and placed it atop a large pile of debris. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
There was no evacuation order, the couple added.
“If anyone had known something like this was going to happen, no one would have been here at home.”
The hurricane killed more than 250 people in multiple states, including 90 in North Carolina alone. The number of people missing remains unknown.
The hurricane killed more than 250 people in multiple states, including 90 in North Carolina alone. The number of people missing remains unknown. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
More than 1 million people were without power in the first few days after the storm. Power line workers are working 16 to 17 hours a day to restore power, especially in hard-to-reach mountainous areas where lines and poles have been torn apart by brush and mud up and down steep slopes. .
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Power crews are working 16 to 17 hours a day to restore power to people in the mountains affected by Hurricane Helen. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
Jesse's father is an avid gardener, and we see the potatoes he grew before the storm poking out of the mud strewn up and down the valley, where once healthy grass and trees grew.
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Eleven members of the same family were killed in a landslide in the Fairview, North Carolina, area known to locals as “Craigtown.” (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
In the area where authorities found her body days after Helen arrived, foliage was bright amidst destroyed homes, smashed cars and orange “X” marks spray-painted on trees and rocks. It's starting to change color. A small river that had been torn from its banks by a storm flows silently, and grasshoppers chirp as if nothing had happened two weeks ago.
“This was such a beautiful, wonderful little slice of mountain life…”
“I was born and raised in this small community. This is my entire family. My grandfather bought this land a long time ago,” Jesse said. “So, I grew up here. It was so beautiful, this wonderful little mountain life. You know? It was safe. We had a great childhood. Growing up, we had a really close-knit relationship. There was a community.”
In the area where authorities found her body days after Helen arrived, foliage was bright amidst destroyed homes, smashed cars and orange “X” marks spray-painted on trees and rocks. It's starting to change color. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
Mekenzie and Jesse are still in shock over the loss of their family and home.
“We see it, but your mind can't understand it. You don't think it's real. You can't understand what happened,” Jesse said. said.
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Jesse and Mekenzie Craig are in shock after losing 11 members of their family in Hurricane Helen. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
Jesse Craig said his grandfather bought the property in Fairview now known as “Craigtown” about 80 years ago. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
They've been trying to keep busy. For two weeks starting on September 27, Jesse and Mekenzie woke up every morning, brushed their teeth with a water bottle when they ran out of water, and drove to Craigtown, which used to be 20 minutes from their home, but now 1. It started taking time. – We took long drives to sift through the rubble and search for belongings of loved ones who survived the storm.
Jesse noted that her parents' 8-year-old golden retriever, Cooper, survived the storm. They found him at home, still in a wooden box, because he didn't want to leave the house after the storm destroyed almost everything.
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During Hurricane Helen, a portion of the road leading to Galen Creek was completely washed away. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
However, in the face of shock and overwhelming tragedy, Jesse and Mekenzie express their deep gratitude to those who have stepped up to help them, including those in their local community and across the country who have offered to help. did.
“Local residents, first responders and various fire departments came from all over the South and East Coast to help us,” Jesse said. “And we got to spend a lot of time with them and get to know a lot of them personally, because we were here together. And they're really great people. is.”
A North Carolina mother of four was hit by Hurricane Helen's floods right in front of her husband and 8-year-old son.
Jesse and Mekenzie Craig retrieve a jar of jam that Jesse's mother made. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
Mekenzie described the local Baptist church as a “dollar general” because it was full of supplies. As they walked through the church, they were handed buckets to collect the food and other necessities they needed.
”[T]This is literally a grocery store inside one of these churches. ”
The GoFundMe, titled “Supporting Craig Family After Tragic Loss,” aims to help the Craig family with funeral, rebuilding and medical expenses for 11 people.
The GoFundMe, titled “Supporting Craig Family After Tragic Loss,” aims to help the Craig family with funeral, rebuilding and medical expenses for 11 people. (Adam Eugene Willis, Fox News Digital)
“All we really need is financial help. We're overwhelmed with so many people from all over the country with supplies. It's amazing,” Mekenzie said. ”[A]Almost every church in the area can be walked inside and these churches literally have grocery stores. ”
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Craigtown before Hurricane Helen devastated the area on September 27th. (Mekenzie Craig)
The couple encourages anyone in need to seek out local organizations that have food, supplies and other necessary resources.
“Find a local organization and go,” Jesse said. “They'll give you anything you need. Most of them have enough. Don't be afraid to go and ask for help if you need it.”
Please help those affected by Hurricanes Helen and Milton. Your donation allows the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from these disasters. go to redcross.org/foxforward.
