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The Hurricane Helene Archive brings together a collection of media contributed by community members, researchers, and historians. Use this page to explore firsthand accounts, images, and documents that offer insight into the storm, its impacts, and recovery efforts.
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Interview of Stacey Rex
UnknownStacey is a dedicated member to her community. She shares about her experiences with cleanups, food delivery, and other service after Helene -
gus storyUnknowngus tells his story leading up to hurricane, during and his efforts after
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Appalachian Professors' View on Hurricane HeleneUnknownIn this interview, Debbie Polous shares her story of what it meant to be a professor at Appalachian State following Hurricane Helene. She shares her insight on how the university helped students in and out of the classroom.
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Interview with Don CoxUnknownInterview with Don Cox on his experience with Hurricane Helene
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A First-Hand Account of Hurricane Helene -- Interview with Tanner Woods
UnknownInterview Summary: Tanner Woods, a senior at Appalachian State University, shared his story of experiencing Hurricane Helene. Before the storm, life in Boone felt normal. The town was growing, new buildings were going up, and people didn’t think a hurricane would ever reach the mountains. Tanner said he didn’t prepare much because he thought the storm would only hit the southern states. When it started to get serious, his roommate left early, but Tanner waited too long and ended up leaving while the storm was already happening. He remembered power going out, heavy winds shaking his building, and rain pounding on his window. He quickly packed his things and had to walk through fallen trees and deep water to get to his car, all while the storm was raging. He drove home in dangerous conditions, passing flooded cars on the way. After the storm, his apartment was damaged with water leaks and a large hole in the wall. He said Boone looked destroyed, trees were down, buildings were damaged, and the town felt empty and sad. Tanner said the biggest needs after the storm were food, water, and safety. He remembered how people in Boone came together, handing out food and helping others who lost things. He said the storm made everyone more caring and connected, especially between students and locals. Living through it changed the way he sees his home and community. He now feels more thankful for what he has and wants to be better prepared for future storms. He said his hope comes from seeing how kind and strong people in Boone became during the recovery. Interview Transcript: Interviewer: Morgan Brinegar Interviewee: Tanner Woods Morgan: To begin, tell me a little about yourself and your ties to the storm and your community. Tanner: My name is Tanner Woods. I'm a senior here at App State. Morgan: What's life usually like here before everything changed with hurricane Helene? Tanner: In my opinion, things are pretty normal, just nothin’ out of the ordinary, you know, just construction on campus, new things being built up. I'd say the community was kind of growing before the storm came in. Morgan: Okay, so here's some questions about before the storm. When you first heard that Helene was heading this way, what went through your mind? Tanner: I didn't think it was gonna hit us. I mean, I honestly thought it was just going to impact, like, Florida and Georgia, like the Southern states. But then, where I saw that it was kind of making its way up here. I honestly didn't prepare at all. I just didn't think of it hit us because of the mountains and all, but I was wrong. Morgan: All right. How did you and roommates or neighbors get ready once you realized it was serious? Tanner: Uh, well, my roommate took more precaution. He left and went home. I think as soon as it, like, hit. I don't know, maybe like, when it just had gotten to North Carolina. I don't know, maybe it was the closest state or whatever, but he left pretty early, say, a few days earlier, than when it hit. I wasn't prepared at all, so I left like in the middle of it. Or, like, right before it started to get real bad, but it was still pretty bad. Trees had fallen at that point, and roads were kind of washed away. Except for, thankfully the highway I needed to take home. I mean, it was very rainy and dangerous, but the roads were, you know, intact, so I was able to just safely get home. Morgan: That's good. So, looking back, do you feel like you had enough warning or resources to prepare? Tanner: Um. There was definitely a lot of warnings, but resources to prepare, I'm not really sure. I feel like it kind of hit everybody by surprise. I think resources were very limited up here. I mean, they had that fundraiser or donations of them sending like care packages up here because we didn't have enough. So, I mean, that just kind of showed that we wasn't really prepared for resources, but we did have warnings that it was coming, I guess we just never thought it was gonna hit the mountains like it did. Morgan: All right, well, here's some questions about during the storm. I kind of want you to tell your story now. So, can you walk me through what the experience was like for you, like where were you and what was happening around you? And I guess what, like, what did you, what was, what was your story? Tanner: I was in my room, the next thing you know, like, the power kind of went out. So I was like, okay. Well, my phone was kind of like not really charged to us, so I kind of was freaking out that my phone was going to die and this storm's coming. All you hear is like, my window is kind of like smacking and you could feel like the room. I don't know. I wouldn't say really shaken as much, but you could feel like the wind pushing and hitting hard against, well, and the water hitting hard against the building. And I kind of just had to make a quick decision, too. I just packed up as much as I could. Everything that I thought was valuable, because I didn't really expect to come back for a long time because of the storm at that point. So I just packed up everything and I had a run to my car that was 20 minutes away in another parking lot, and had to hike through the storm to get there. And on the way there, the walk is through, the walk is through a trail to get to the lot, and that trail I take, the trees have fell, so I had to climb over trees in crocs to get to my car. So like, my socks was all soaked and my feet, my clothes were all, like, nasty, and then after I had already got home and kind of chilled and debriefed, the next day, I think, we had got called and said that like our room had damage in it, and some things. Some of my roommates's valuables was messed up. Some of myself got messed up, but it wasn't really nothing valuable. I could easily just throw away stuff. But they had to cut a hole in our room because we had, like pipe damage and water in our walls and, like flooded throughout. It was a pretty stressful time. I didn't know if I was gonna have, like, a place to come back to and stay when I came back. If we was able to come back. Morgan: Was there a moment during the storm that you'll never forget? Tanner: Probably driving out of Boone during the storm. Like you see cars kind of driving. I just saw, like, one car completely, like, it was flooded out, like, it was no way it was going being able to be driven. The water had already got that high, but I had already got up on a hill, so I didn't even get to hit it, but you can just tell that that car had been there for a minute sitting there in that water. So, I mean, it was just scary for all people driving home, too. I mean, like, I live an hour and a half away, but I think it took me three hours to get there, because I drove as slow as I could. Morgan: Okay. Now, here's some questions about kind of after the storm. What did you see or feel the first time you stepped outside after the storm passed? Tanner: Uh, Boone was dead. It looked awful. It was just... I don't know, everything, the trees were all destroyed, the roads are messed up, businesses and buildings were all, it just looked like a like a ghost town, and then people were still trying to help build a community and get it all back, but you can tell we just needed a little more help. It was just very depressing and sad after the storm. Morgan: Okay, um, what were the first few days, like, in Boone? Like, what needed attention right away? Tanner: Hm. I think, like, food supply was a big thing that needed attention, just getting food out to everybody. And like, there was like reports of drownings and stuff. I'm not sure necessarily. I guess in the Boone, Blowing Rock area or the Asheville area, but like, I know that was a thing people was talking about. I know that was a big thing that needed to be focused on was trying to help anybody that could have been any help or was trapped anywhere. I think food and just peoples security as well, just, like, overall, just trying to rejuvenize and build Boone back up again, because it was completely destroyed. Morgan: Yeah. And sorry to interrupt, but, like, I guess plus food, you got water. People lost their housing, people lost their courses. I remember one of my classes had to get canceled, because it was in Rankin science and that, like, the whole floor was like destroyed. Tanner: Destroyed. Morgan: So we had to get moved online. That's just tons of money, if you think about it. Tanner: Yeah, a lot of people's educations and just overall living was impacted. Morgan: Yeah. All right, sorry. All right. Who or what helped the most during those first recovery months? Tanner: I'd say just active Boone community members. I know, like, of course, like, the police, fire department, and first responders and stuff like that, but there's a lot of donations and stuff and like, fly over, like, airdrop type things happening. I don't know, but that really did help a lot, that helped dish out a lot of resources and material, to not only here, but like Blowing Rock and Asheville and any other places in the nearby area that was impacted. Morgan: All right, here's some questions about community, and I guess more about recovering and all of that stuff. So how have people in your community supported one another since then? Tanner: They're more giving, and they're more, I'd say, understanding, because I say like, especially the community of Boone’s bonded, like, more together. I'd say, like. the students are more active in the community of Boone, not just the school community, because everybody was impacted by Helene the same. So, like, all very giving and appreciative of everything. I remember people was giving out food for free, just to give it out because they knew people needed it. So, I mean, like.. I just say appreciates another more. Morgan: Yeah. What changes have you noticed? Like, either in the landscape, the people, or the way things work now? Tanner: I'd say, a lot of construction, but a lot of it was already rebuilt and kind of polished up. Boone's looking nice again. I'd say landscape wise, like, besides, you know, buildings and facilities, like, the forest has, you know, revived. Like it was destroyed, and a lot of mudslides and stuff like that, but it's all kind of cleared out and it took a lot of work, but a lot of people made Boone look like Boone again. Morgan: Yep. Okay, here's some, I guess, reflection and closing questions, but just because they're “closing questions,” please just take your time and stuff. Don't rush. We have his all the time in the world. So. How was living through Hurricane Helene, or, how has living through Hurricane Helene changed the way you see your home or your community? Tanner: Uh.. It made me and honestly made me, like, not appreciate my home as much up here and boom as much as it. Like, I get more homesick now, I guess, because like, nothing's like home, like my house and my real home didn't get damaged from the hurricane, except for, like, small tree did fall on it, but it didn't cost too much damage. So, but in comparison to my room up here, that was damaged, I don't know. It just felt like it could get all taken away from you very suddenly and quickly. So it just made me, I just got more homesick after that. Like, I just wanted to be home more. That was my issue. Morgan: Wait, did you say during Hurricane Helene, a tree fell on your house back where you're from, Mount Airy? Tanner: Yeah. Morgan: So you was affected not only in Boone, North Carolina. You were also affected in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Tanner: Yeah. Morgan: Wow. I'm sorry. If another storm were to come, what would you do differently next time? Tanner: Um, I would just have a lot of my valuable stuff, like, packed up, like, still quickly accessible, but also in a place where I can quickly pack them up and get them ready to go. Maybe pack a lot of food and water. And honestly, I'd probably just beat out the storm, go wherever it's not, honestly. Morgan: What gives you hope as your community continues to rebuild and move forward? Tanner: I mean, I see it every day, just everybody's just friendly with one another. That kind of gives me hope. There's no anger, animosity. that you feel in the community. Everyone's kind of just friendly and connects with one another on whatever level it may be. So I feel like everyone's just very understanding and friendly to one another. Morgan: Could you kind of retell, I guess not retell, but is there anything you want to add? Tanner: They did fix my room though. It took about… Morgan: Yeah, I remember you saying your room was damaged until the last week of school. Tanner: Yeah, like the final exam week, the room was finally fixed. We had a big, like, I wouldn't even say it was a hole, because it was bigger than a hole. It was about a six foot, about four foot hole in the freaking, well, I guess six about a six foot hole, it was a big, it was like a door frame hole in our wall. Morgan: Kind of like a little Coraline door. Tanner: Yeah. Morgan: Actually probably bigger. Like us and our neighbors could easily just, we can hear everything, talk to each other. It was not cool. And it, like. With the wall being exposed like that, and the water was still in there, it made it smell. It was nasty. Didn't like it... Didn't want to be in my room as much. That also added to me wanting to go home. Morgan: Were any of your classes or anything affected? Tanner: Uh, majority of them just got moved online. Um. A lot of, like, assignments got called off and just said that, y'all just study, we'll just take the final exam online… type of thing. Majority just got moved online, zooms and stuff. About a lot of times, they’d not require zooms because teachers would be, you know, they're dealing with their lives, too, their lives are impacted too, so they got things they're dealing with. So a lot of times it's just independent work. You had to turn it in by a certain time, so, school at that time was very easy, but it's not really the school your wanting to, It's not the school... Morgan: Not the immersiveness… Tanner: Experience, it's not the experience you want. Morgan: Yeah. I understand that. Luckily, for me, I lived at App Heights, and you know, that's up that really big hill. We weren't touched by any flooding or anything, but definitely the walks, like the trails were disgusting. And, I don't know. I'm just so, I'm so sorry that happened to you. Tanner: Everything's good. Everything got fixed, and the communities growing again, so. Morgan: Yeah. Well, is there anything else you want to add, or? Tanner: I don't know. I can't think of really anything else, to be honest. -
Interview of an App State StudentUnknownThis is an audio interview between two Appalachian State students who experienced Hurricane Helene firsthand.
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Helene interviewUnknownAn interview done with someone who was directly effected by hurricane Helene, going into detail about her emotional and physical journey
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Interview with Elisha Brown: Co-Owner of Boone Bagelry
UnknownAn audio file of the interview of Elisha Brown, Co-owner of Boone Bagelry. She shares her experiences surrounding Hurricane Helene while being a business and home owners. -
Lutheridge Camp and Ministries: Reflection One Year Post-HeleneUnknownI interviewed Van Van Horne about his experiences as Executive Director of Lutheridge Camps and Ministries during the Hurricane Helene Disaster.
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Zuma Coffee "Before and After the Storm"UnknownJole Freeman is a business runner for Zuma Coffee in Downtown Marshall where he talks about his struggles during the storm and after. Although his business was destroyed and how devastating it was he faced the challenges to rebuild his coffee shop alongside with the help of the community of Marshall and helping one another.
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Hurricane Helene - Kailynn Bollinger's ExperienceUnknownThis is an interview of Kailynn Bollinger, a junior music education major at Appalachian State University, about her experience of Helene and the impact it had on both her and the Boone community.
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Nathan Rocheleau Hurricane Helene ExperienceUnknownA video file containing an interview between App State junior, Kaitlyn Bright, and another App State junior, Nathan Rocheleau.
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Interview with Priscilla Dunn
UnknownPriscilla Dunn, a Hickory, NC local and Appalachian State University Alumni had a unique Hurricane Helene story. Her son in law had an emergency surgery in Knoxville. She was coming back to Hickory from Knoxville to assist her daughter. The rivers were raging beside the roads. Then, she got stuck in a landslide on Black Mountain. She turned around to go back to Knoxville, and the Swannanoa River was 10 ft over the interstate. Pricilla stayed the night in Asheville because the police and firemen were overworked. She drove to Spartanburg the next day and then went through Charlotte to get home. She had driven the wrong way on the interstate, drove over power lines, tree branches, and swerved around them. But she also created a community for her own needs and for the needs of others. -
faith through the floodUnknownI am in my undergradute and my major is communication
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A PA Student's Helene ExpirienceUnknownI interviewed Abby Murphy on her experience as a PA student in Boone NC during Hurricane Helene. I have submitted the interview audio file along with a transcript of the interview.
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The Bay of Sugar GroveUnknownLocals look out at the astonishing flood in the valley of Sugar Grove (near Watauga Bridge). During normal times, the river meanders through a small portion of that valley and stays at about 20 feet beneath that bridge. It looks more like a bay than a river valley.
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Jackie Mace and her story of "Chaos"UnknownInterview Summary Participants ~ Dylan Jackson, Interviewer: Public Relations and Public Health major at Appalachian State University Jackie Mace, Interviewee: VP of Market Operations at Hopscotch Primary Care in Western NC Background and Introduction ~ Jackie has lived in Appalachia for about 10 years, moving from Minnesota to Maggie Valley and currently residing in the Marshall area. She works as VP of Market Operations for Hopscotch Primary Care, managing 11 clinics across Western NC. Her husband works for Buncombe County Schools. Pre-Hurricane Community Life for Jackie ~ Jackie described her community as close-knit but initially difficult to break into as a newcomer. Moving to the area in her 40s without a local support network was challenging, but her husband's local roots helped her integrate. Before the hurricane, the community already had a strong culture of mutual support and resilience. Experience During Hurricane Helene ~ Jackie had never experienced a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Helene. The most impactful aspect of the entire situation was the human response: neighbors and colleagues supporting each other with limited resources. The Hopscotch team, including out-of-state staff, worked together to check on employees, set up temporary infrastructure (like water tanks and porta-potties), and provide essential supplies to staff and patients. Jackie shared stories of extreme generosity, like a colleague who lost everything but still helped others. Personally, Jackie and her husband were without power or water for eight days. Their neighbors and family provided what they could, and the community rallied around each other. One powerful moment for her was relying on a small battery-powered radio, her only lifeline to the outside world, for storm updates and community news. Aftermath and Reflection ~ Jackie emphasized how the experience changed her perspective on life. Material things became less important; relationships, community, and mental well-being took center stage. She noticed increased friendliness and intentionality in her community since the storm, more casual conversations, more neighborly gestures, and deeper human connection. Jackie described her overall experience with Hurricane Helene in one word: chaos, but a chaos that revealed deep human resilience and unity. Interview Key Takeaways and Themes ~ Community Resilience: Despite widespread devastation, the community came together in extraordinary ways. Organizational Response: Hopscotch Primary Care prioritized employee well-being and patient care even amidst infrastructure collapse. Personal Growth: The storm served as a turning point for Jackie, reinforcing life priorities and personal strength. Preparation Lessons: Small tools like a radio made a massive difference; the experience emphasized the importance of being prepared and flexible in crisis situations.
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Tyden Household Hurricane Experience
UnknownI am a graduate student who goes to Appalachian State University and who also attended undergraduate school here as well. My partner and I had lived in Zionville for almost a year at the time when the hurricane hit. We are surrounded by people who keep Boone going—not by students. Our neighbors are families, retired couples, and farmers; we are the oddballs out here. We live with our two pets, a cat and a dog. When the hurricane hit hardest, it was in the night. I remember our AC going out. We live in an old cabin with no central AC or heat—we have a wood-burning stove for heat and in-unit ACs for summer. When the AC went out, it got hot quickly. I somehow went back to bed, but then was awoken again by a giant crash. I woke my partner, and we moved ourselves and the pets downstairs to the futon. At this point, our power was fully out, and it was hot and stuffy upstairs. We all ended up falling back asleep. When it was finally daylight, we were able to see what the big crash outside the house had been. An old shed behind the house had fallen during the night, but thankfully it hadn’t fallen on us. A thin tree had also fallen onto the porch but hadn’t damaged the house. We stayed inside for most of the day until the rain let up. My partner had a satellite phone, so we were able to contact our families to let them know we were safe. A thin tree was blocking our driveway, but we ventured out with our dog anyway. We checked on our neighbors, who were on their way to check on their church, which had apparently flooded badly. Another neighbor came by, soaked head to toe, to grab a chainsaw to help someone else. Across the way, our neighbor’s farm had turned into a river, and his cows had wandered into the hills, though they were safe. A whole trailer had been torn to pieces, and cars were floating by. People sped past on dirt bikes and four-wheelers, hollering to make sure we were okay. Construction equipment from people’s farms was already on the road, trying to clear the way. Farther down the road, we came to the flower farm, which was decimated. Their farm stand was gone, and the road was destroyed. On our way back home, several people told us there was only one way out, so we listened closely and took note to remember. Luckily, our neighbor across the way was a retired lineman, and the one next to us was a current lineman, and they warned it would be a long time before power came back on. So we decided the next day we were going to hack our way out of there and try to get through in our Prius. And miraculously—we did. -
(none)UnknownI woke in the dark water dripping in my bedroom, no electricity, my phone blinking low battery, no one beside me. Outside, the wind howled, rain slammed the windows. Inside, silence except the water rising to my ankles. My apartment, drowning. What should I do? How do I reach someone? How do I ask for help? I opened the door the storm stared back, wild and unforgiving. I packed a few clothes, stepped into the unknown, heading to my friend’s house. The road was passable, but the world had changed. Cows once grazing now swimming. Trees, homes submerged. I lost my place. Can I return? What about my things? What about my life?
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The Aftermath of Hurricane Helene
UnknownI remember Hurricane Helene very vividly. In the days leading up to the hurricane, I had no idea it was going to be as bad as it was. I hadn’t really been watching the news, and my mom kept texting me updates about the storm. Mind you, my family lives in the Wake Forest–Raleigh area. I remember telling her, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” She would text me incessantly again, I had no idea it was going to be as bad as it was. Nobody did. I brushed it off, thinking it was just going to be a short rainstorm. But little did I know the devastation that would follow. The night before, I didn’t think to get bottled water, non-perishables, or anything like that. All I had bought was toilet paper. I was ignorant. As anxious a person as I am, I’m usually much better at planning for the worst. This time, I wasn’t. And this time, I dealt with the consequences. The morning of September 27, my roommate and I woke up to a flooded basement. Our power had gone out. We were without food, water, or electricity. At that point, we began collecting rainwater just to have something to drink. We couldn’t call or text our families. We were completely disconnected from everyone, just the two of us, waiting for the storm to blow over. Around 4 p.m., the rain finally stopped. My roommate and I went outside to assess the damage. To the right of our house, the road above ours had collapsed, causing a major landslide that spilled into the middle of our street, blocking us in. The basement of a house below ours had flooded about five feet. The students living there had to break a window to let the water escape. Looking in the other direction, to the left of our house, a power line hung dangerously in the middle of the street. The wind had knocked over a tree, which had landed right on it. After seeing all the destruction Hurricane Helene had caused, my roommate and I began trying to clear the road so we could leave the neighborhood in search of food and water. A few of our neighbors were doing the same. As we tried to clear debris from under our car with a snow shovel, a college student from across the street approached us, asking for help. The poor guy looked pale, was shivering, clearly hungry, and dehydrated. He said he didn’t live at the house and that he was just staying with his buddies. They had no food or water, and he asked us for a ride. His car had been completely demolished. Debris, including a ping pong table, had been lodged underneath it. He couldn’t get out. His car had been parked at the house with five feet of flooding in the basement, so I could only imagine what it looked like. My roommates and I were fortunate to have only five inches of flooding. We lived in a duplex on a hill my roommate and I lived upstairs, and our two other roommates (two guys) lived on the bottom floor. Eventually, we cleared the debris from beneath our car and went in search of any places that might be open. Once we saw that there was power on campus, we stopped at The Market. Sheetz was open too, so that became our second stop, before taking the guy we helped back home. The next day, not knowing when our power would be back, I packed my things and left to stay with my family for the next few weeks. -
Blairmont LakeUnknownThe experience was truly wild. Being located above the floodplain and the greenway as well as right next to the hospital I often figured the storm would kind of pass us over. The storm never fully picked up until the morning of Thursday. When I woke up the water had risen another 10 feet nearly. It had to have been well over 20 feet from the floodplain. During the storm I was able to witness countless cars going by, gazebo’s, trees and so forth. It truly put the storm into perspective. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be in the area that I was in. As flat and open as the golf course was allowed the water to pass us over without decimating bridges, homes and other larger structures. The water had a way to go. I remember the water coming up over barns and well over the tops of road signs. It was also wild that no one else could have experienced what I did in that area. Everyone had a different view and situation. Standing by helpless watching everything pass was painful. Quickly after the store I remember checking on the houses close by and in the flood zone. The water and mud did not leave for months. The power lines remained across the road for up to two weeks. Being so close to the hospital I figured we would receive power quickly but it was out for a few weeks. Despite the storm I have never felt closer to my neighbors and to my community. It truly opened my eyes. Additionally going to Spruce Pine a week after to deliver supplies it blew my mind even more. There were steel I beams for factories or warehouses that were twisted like a bread tied around a 50 ft bridge, the water had come well over the top. Seeing the place that I had spent so much time visiting receiving it considerably worse than myself was hard. A bit of survivors guilt. The same for the Watuaga river past valle crucis. The flood plains truly saved my life and those around the main rivers were not so fortunate. It was heartbreaking. The video was used by some students down the mountain in Charlotte and Winston for school newspapers as the view was so alarming. It put the amount of water into perspective. I cannot imagine having being on a bend or river location.
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Apartment Destruction
UnknownAt 5am on the day the hurricane first hit Boone, I felt my building shake as if an earthquake had struck. The noise was so loud I thought a bomb had gone off. A massive oak tree had completely destroyed half our apartment building, and we ran out of our room as we were hearing screaming coming from where the tree had struck. I pulled out guys from one of the apartments, and I saw that part of the tree had skewered through his bed. He was unharmed, which was a miracle from God. I will never forget that day.