Current:Home > FinanceNo time for shoes as Asheville family flees by boat, fearing they lost everything -OceanicInvest
No time for shoes as Asheville family flees by boat, fearing they lost everything
View
Date:2025-04-18 12:07:54
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Kuroe Gray’s first step Friday morning was straight into ankle-deep water.
The high school freshman woke up around 8 a.m. to the sound of her father yelling for her to get dressed because their home was flooding. Kuroe, 14, didn’t even have time to grab a pair of shoes before boarding a rescue boat, she told the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network.
By the time she evacuated, water was halfway up the family's front door.
Earlier this week, Western North Carolina saw a "predecessor" rainfall event that brought up to 8 inches in many areas. And then on Thursday and Friday, the hurricane-turned-tropical-storm Helene delivered even more rain to the already swollen French Broad and Swannanoa rivers. The storm also brought high winds that knocked down trees and electrical lines across Buncombe County, leaving more than 100,000 Duke Energy customers without power that morning.
On Friday, the French Broad River in Asheville’s River Arts District covered Lyman Street, flooding the greenway and partially submerging surrounding buildings. That morning, area residents stood on the bridge that spans the river, watching debris float away atop the rushing water. A flock of pigeons tried to brave the wind but were pushed back to a roost beneath the bridge.
At River Ridge Apartments in East Asheville, where Kuroe lives with her father, David Gray, 58, and next door to her grandmother, Sharon Gray, 83, the Swannanoa River forced the family members from their homes.
Sharon Gray told the Citizen Times the water that flooded her apartment washed away her wheelchair and walker. When the rescue crew moved her, it was so painful she thought she might die.
“I haven’t walked for over a year,” she said. “So, there I was, walking, actually walking so that I could get to the boat.”
Her son, David, said the family lost almost everything. All he could save was the family guinea pig, Brown, his mother’s cat, Ellie, and medications.
And it’s not like the Gray family wasn’t ready for the storm.
“I prepped for losing power and for being able to flush the toilet — filling up the tubs, stocking up on water and food,” David Gray said. “I had portable battery packs and camping gear for cooking.”
But how much can a family really prepare for what one county official described as a "500-year-flood?"
“This morning, when the water was coming up closer and closer, I was like, this looks worse than I thought,” he said. “And before you know it, I guess they opened up the dam and water started coming in.”
FEMA, National Guard step aiding in flooding devastation
In the early morning hours on Friday, Buncombe County ordered a mandatory evacuation order from the North Fork Reservoir, where water breached the spillway, to Biltmore Village along the Swannanoa River.
Crews working in the area have conducted more than 40 swift-water rescues, according to county spokesperson Lillian Govus. Additional teams from Illinois, New Jersey and other locations in North Carolina have arrived to support the effort, she said.
More:River levels in WNC: Flooding recorded at French Broad, Swannanoa; rivers still rising
An 82-person urban search and rescue team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was also assisting with rescue efforts, the City of Asheville said in a news release. The National Guard was also providing support.
Evacuated from River Ridge, the Gray family was at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, where the city set up an emergency shelter in the early morning hours.
By the time the Gray family arrived, the rain and wind had ended. Tourists strolled Haywood Street surveying damage, snapping photographs of broken tree limbs covering sidewalks and streets.
Soon, the sun came out.
More:Tropical Storm Helene evacuees head to Harrah's Cherokee downtown Asheville for shelter
Meanwhile, the Gray family stood inside the lobby of Harrah’s, where more than 400 people evacuated by the late afternoon, assuming they had lost everything and wondering what they would do next.
Brown, the guinea pig, was in the family’s Toyota across the street, which David feared would be towed. Harrah’s parking garage didn’t offer enough clearance for him to enter.
For a moment, Ellie, the cat, appeared to be missing. Fortunately, they discovered she was still resting in her carrier next to her owner.
And Kuroe was still in her bare feet.
Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at jbiba@citizentimes.com.
New videos were added to this story.
veryGood! (6117)
Related
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Ariana Grande Dating Wicked Co-Star Ethan Slater After Dalton Gomez Breakup
- Below Deck Sailing Yacht's Gary Confronts Daisy & Colin Over Secret Hookup in Reunion Bonus Clip
- Taylor Swift Lets Out the Ultimate LOL While Performing Song About Kanye West Feud
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Federal Money Begins Flowing to Lake Erie for Projects With an Eye on Future Climate Impacts
- Q&A: What to Do About Pollution From a Vast New Shell Plastics Plant in Pennsylvania
- True Thompson and Chicago West Mischievously Pay Tribute to Moms Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- As an Obscure United Nations Gathering Deliberates the Fate of Deep-Sea Mining, the Tuna Industry Calls for a Halt
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Activist Group ‘Names and Shames’ Cargill and Its Heirs to Keep Deforestation Promises
- RHOA Alum NeNe Leakes' Son Bryson Arrested on Felony Drug Possession Charges
- Shakira Brings Her 2 Sons as Her Dates to 2023 Premios Juventud
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- The Voice Debuts First Coaches Photo With Reba McEntire After Blake Shelton's Exit
- Why Tom Felton Is Hilariously Pissed Over the Barbie Movie
- Q&A: Heather McTeer Toney Reflects on the Ongoing Struggle for Environmental Justice in America
Recommendation
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
As East Harlem Waits for Infrastructure Projects to Mitigate Flood Risk, Residents Are Creating Their Own Solutions
Toby Keith to Receive Country Icon Award at the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards
Jamie Foxx Addresses Rumors About His Health in First Video Message Since Hospitalization
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
Carlee Russell Searched For Taken, Amber Alert Before Disappearance, Police Say
MrBeast YouTuber Kris Tyson Comes Out as Transgender
Mandy Moore Says She's Received Paychecks Under $1 for This Is Us Streaming Residuals