John Jefferson
A North Carolina family is mourning the loss of 11 loved ones in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as residents and officials in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee areas continue to recover bodies nearly two weeks after Helene devastated the region.
The Craig family, which lives in an area known as “Craigtown” in Fairview, a suburb of Asheville, lost 11 members to a mudslide that happened “without warning by unprecedented rains” when the worst of Helene struck in the early morning hours of Sept. 27, according to a GoFundMe for the family titled “Support the Craig Family After Tragic Loss.”
The GoFundMe described the Craig family as “pillars of the community.”
A resident close to the Craigs told Fox News Digital the 11 deceased family members lived in several houses beside each other, which the mudslide crushed when it came down the slope of the mountain near their homes.
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“Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated by the entire family — it will go towards rebuilding homes, funeral arrangements, medical expenses, unemployment during the grieving process, etc,” a description for the GoFundMe page states.
Tony Garrison, a father of two and a firefighter with the Fairview Fire Department and Garren Creek Fire Department, died trying to save people from the mudslides. Some victims who were in the area during the devastation are still missing.
In Green Mountain, about an hour north of Fairview on the other side of the Pisgah Forest, another family is mourning the loss of two young boys and their parents, who also died Sept. 27.
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Alison Wisely and her two sons, 9-year-old Felix and 7-year-old Lucas, were found dead after they attempted to leave their home that Friday, according to a GoFundMe page titled “Honoring Alison, Knox, Felix, and Lucas.” Wisely’s fiancé, Knox Petrucci, has yet to be recovered.
“At around noon on Friday during the storm, they attempted to flee their home by car. The car began to float. They got out and tried to return to their house, but a big wave came and swept them all into the Toe River,” a description for the fundraiser says. “So far, Aly, Felix, and Lucas’s bodies have been recovered. The search is still on for Knox and several agencies are working tirelessly to find him so that he can be put to rest with his family.”
More than 230 people died during Helene, as of Wednesday, though the death toll is expected to grow as search and rescue efforts continue. More than 3,200 people in North Carolina have been rescued in the aftermath, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but an unknown number of people still remain missing in the southern Appalachia region.
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On a Facebook page titled “Hurricane Helene Safety Check In,” hundreds of people from around the country have been posting photos and descriptions of their loved ones, asking if locals have seen them as cellphone service and Wi-Fi in the area remains scarce, making it difficult if not impossible for some survivors, especially those in mountainous regions, to check in with friends and family.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) told Fox News Digital in a statement that officials are “working cooperatively with FEMA to respond to fatalities related to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, ensuring the right disaster procedures and plans are in place.
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“Recovery efforts remain focused on getting help and support to people who need it, including assistance when a family member or loved one has died. Anyone seeking assistance locating a loved one who is missing or unaccounted for can call 2-1-1.
“Every death related to a hurricane is a tragedy. If a family or individual is seeking assistance with a loved one who has died, emergency responders are available in every impacted county to provide help and ensure their loved one is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
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Black Mountain Police Chief Steve Parker told Fox News Digital search and rescue efforts will continue in the western North Carolina mountain town until they “try to locate every last person.”
“We’re going to continue our efforts until we try to recover every last person.”
“Of course, I don’t have a number because that’s something that we’re running through Buncombe County and our incident command structure. We know that there were people lost in the storm, and there’s still numerous people unaccounted for. But I can tell you that all the resources have come in,” he said.
“Yesterday, I had somebody come in from Los Angeles, California, rescue and recovery and said, ‘Where do you need me? How can I help?’ … We’re going to continue our efforts until we try to recover every last person.”
Parker said the first five days of search and rescue were chaotic, but local Black Mountain officials pulled together to rescue more than 450 people. Since then, the community has received help from federal officials and the Red Cross.
“The first five days were rough, and I would have liked to have seen resources pushed our way a lot quicker than they were,” Parker said. “But I also believe that that’s due to the communication issues that no one could help. … We’re doing OK now, but we know there’s another storm coming to Florida. What’s it going to look like for us next week?”
He added that he wants to make sure western North Carolina continues to receive care in the coming weeks.
The police chief said it has been “amazing” to see how the community has come together after a tragedy.
“One gentleman the other day, he said, ‘I never knew my neighbors.’ But he said, ‘Joe over here needed this, and Susie over here needed that and Jake over there needed this. And we all got it for them.’ So, they’re working together to help each other, and they’re truly becoming a community.”
The downtown area of Black Mountain has remained relatively intact, and after the town works to rebuild and get its water system running again over the next month or two, it hopes to see tourists return to the area, which is most active around fall when the leaves in the mountains change color.
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