here is the story of how 36 of us almost got killed by Hurricane Helene.
September 23, 2024 we arrived in the Black Mountains in North Carolina to do a week of ministry.
The first few days were filled with serving the community around us. The first day, I went out with 2 of my friends and shared the Gospel up and down the streets of Asheville for 6 hours.
The second day I worked at Black Mountain Children’s Home. They had piles full of wood that we broke in half so they could fit into the dumpster to be thrown away. I also set up tents that they use for fun festivals and checked for tears and holes.
The third day I worked in one of the buildings at BMCH and me and a few other girls made a fun Autumn poster for the kids. The rest of the squad either worked at a thrift store, organizing the back room and hanging clothes, or at the building I was in, deep cleaning all the rooms.
Then the fourth day came. September 27, 2024.
The whole week it had been raining because of the hurricane, but I hadn’t thought much of it.
I woke up in my cabin full of girls around 07:30. It was raining hard outside so I couldn’t go back to sleep. I was laying awake in my bed for a while until we heard a man pounding on the door at 08:00. My friend opened the door to the guy that was in charge of our squad that week. I came over and he said (paraphrased)“it’s storming pretty bad outside. Wake up everyone in your cabin, we’re gonna move to the dining hall. It’s further away from big trees. Tell everyone to pack a bag for what they need for today. I’m also going to have the leaders move the vans to the other side of the building.”
So my friend and I woke up everyone and we packed our backpacks. Most of us were in a hurry so we left the rest of our stuff scattered and on the floor. I ran to the dining hall in the rain with a few girls which was just a little further up the hill. We got inside, where there was already no power, and waited for the rest of our squad from the other cabin to come inside the room.
And praise God we moved, because one of the cabins was later wiped out.
Everyone made it in safely and we started to get comfy. Some people played piano, some played uno, some of us slept, and the rest hung around. I called my Mom and told her that we had moved locations and I was safe where I was. Little did I know, that was far from the truth.
At 09:07, I noticed a group of people standing by the window taking pictures, so I stood up too and to my amazement, saw that the water was coming in so fast down the hill that it was almost seeping into the room. I took a picture minutes before disaster:
It struck at 09:10.
My ears were suddenly overwhelmed with the sounds of crashing and blood-curdling screams all around me. I saw everyone sprint out of the building and the only thing running through my mind was “Abby get out of the building!” As I ran out of the building, I felt water hit my feet from behind and as I turned around, I realized what was happening. The whole right half of the building had collapsed. The wall that I had seen seconds earlier was now open and the sky was visible.
I stood under the awning of the deck in pure shock. I can’t even describe the feeling but all I could think was “I’m about to die.” I thought the little roof above me was gonna fall on my head, and the deck I was standing on was gonna fall out beneath me, leaving me literally crushed.
Without thinking, me and a few others went back into the part of the building that was standing, and tried to find our stuff. I went to where I had been laying down with my backpack, but the water and mud was up to my calves and I couldn’t find any of my stuff. I grabbed a backpack hoping it was mine (turned out to be my friends) and then a leader said “let’s get out of here.” So we went back out of the building and the water was rushing across the deck.
I followed a group of people around the corner and we jogged to higher ground only about 50 feet away from the building. To the left of the building was a small concrete landing where the leaders had moved the vans to. It was the safest place for us to be because it was a small opening from the trees.
I stood there and looked at the half-collapsed building realizing my only belongings were the clothes on my back, the phone and AirPods in my hand, and the glasses on my eyes.
I had no shoes, no peace, and no idea what was gonna happen next.
I could barely breathe. I had already been sick and that combined with my asthma and the adrenaline of escaping and bawling my eyes out was not a good mixture. I was coughing and wheezing and quite literally did not think I could take many more breaths. My friends shook me out of it and found me an inhaler. After I calmed down as much as I could, I remember counting how many people were outside with me because I was petrified that one of my squad mates or leaders was dead or injured in the building. We got together into our teams and discovered that by a miracle, all 36 of us were there and ok for the most part.
Then came all the emotions. I felt filled with joy that I had made it out alive. I felt physically exhausted and cold. I was petrified that a tree would fall on me. I was sad. So sad.
I climbed into one of the vans that the leaders had moved earlier (praise God), and I called my mom sobbing and said “mom don’t freak out, I’m ok, but the building collapsed on top of us and I don’t know what to do.” I told her I was safe now because that’s what everyone was saying.
I was told that the place we were standing was the safest place to be (there were fewer trees than anywhere else), and that firefighters were on their way.
I got off the phone and went back into the rain with the rest of the squad.
Then we started literally crying out to God. It was the purest form of worship I had ever experienced, but definitely not the prettiest. We sang a lot of worship songs, and I laughed and rejoiced during some of them, but at other times I could barely get a word out in between sobs.
The most vivid memory I have from soaking in the rain was screaming to God, “WE ARE YOUR PEOPLE. SPARE US!” I had never been so driven to ask God to preserve my life.
He answered.
The roads that the firefighters were trying to reach us by, were completely blocked by trees and water, but God left one road open.
After about an hour out in the rain, we finally had a way out. A huge stream of muddy water had developed through the middle of the camp, leaving us no option other than to trek through it. We had 2 men that were with us that tied a rope on either end of the “river.” We went two by two through the water, gripping the rope. I crossed with my friend Ash. I remember making Ash go in front of me so that in case she fell, I could try to grab her. Thankfully we both stayed on both feet while we crossed. Once we made it to the other side, we still had to go through a ton of mud and water, but the water in this area was still- and the boys on my squad helped us.
All 36 of us made it across the mess with only one scrape, one twisted ankle, and one broken ankle.
Then someone from the town had been able to bring a van to where we were on the road that was open. So we piled in, and drove down the road to the Children’s home we had served at the day before.
We arrived at the orphanage and we all walked inside to a big room full of clothes, blankets, towels, food, hot cocoa, and water. I was so relieved to feel like I was finally in a safe place. But at the same time, my heart was literally shattered from what had just happened.
I looked through the bins of clothes and picked out basketball shorts, and a warm Christmas sweater. I changed in the bathroom where they also let us shower, and then I went back into the large room.
We were in that building for several hours. So at times, I was relaxed, sleeping, playing in the gym, or watching a movie with my friends. But at other times, I would go into another room and breakdown. I got to call my mom at the beginning and tell her that I was actually finally safe now, but after I hung up, the service went out for hours so we couldn’t talk to anyone.
We were all still wondering if any of our stuff in the cabins was gonna get recovered. My two favorite items that I owned, had both been in my backpack in the big room that was flooded. My stuffed Kitty from my childhood, and my Bible that I got when I moved to Guatemala.
I cried for an hour about those two things, and I literally begged God to let them get back to me in decent condition.
A few hours later, people had gone into the building, and grabbed everything they could… including my whole entire back pack.
I opened it as fast as I could, and there was my dry Kitty, and my completely mud-free Bible with not a single page wet. Praise God! He cares about the little things that you love.
Everything else in my backpack was either untouched or cleanable. Including my passport and credit cards.
I finally got settled and was about to lay down and go to bed, when we were informed that we were moving locations once again. They told us that the building we were staying in was at risk for a gas leak, therefore, not fit for 36 people to sleep in.
So we packed up our muddy and wet stuff, and started to head out. The AIM staff that came to help us, met a hotel owner that opened a big room for us to stay in. While they were talking to the owner, people staying in the hotel overheard what was going on, and several of them lent them trucks to come get us.
So me and I think 4 other girls got into a pick-up truck and a girl from AIM drove us out. AIM had spent time scoping out roads to get us out, and the only route they found, was through a prison.
The gates were open and we drove right through in the middle of the night. Parts of the road felt more like driving through a river rather than in pavement, but praise God, we all made it to the hotel.
Once we got there we set up our beds in the big community room they let us stay in. They also brought us pillows and water and I think a few snacks.
In the morning they gave us a delicious and big breakfast with coffee-all for free. What kind souls they were!
Then we packed up our stuff once more and headed back to Gainesville, GA. One of my squad mates dads, had gotten 2 big vans for us and drove overnight to come get us. So they picked us up and drove us straight back.
As long as that story was, I still didn’t even come close to capturing the million miracles that were held in that week. God spared His children from a hurricane that hit them head-on.
I’m so thankful to everyone person that played a role in helping us that week. Even the two dogs we met 🙂
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