Help Elizabeth Rebuild After The Storm

I'm writing this on behalf of my very good friend, Elizabeth. We met here at my yoga studio in Asheville and quickly learned that we are only a week apart in age and both grew up in Broward County, Florida. We bonded over crazy SoFlo stories and being business owners. My heart aches seeing what she is going through.

When Hurricane Helene hit WNC last week, Elizabeth's home and car were destroyed by flooding. When I asked her to help me write the story for this, she couldn't. The experience of being trapped in her home with rising waters and no way out was severely traumatizing. She struggles to sleep, waking up repeatedly from nightmares of the room filling with water and mud.

I was on the phone with Elizabeth through the flooding, so I told her I'd write it for her.

On Thursday, Sept 26th, Elizabeth attempted to evacuate her home before the storm got bad, but the main road that leads out of her development was already blockaded because of flooding. As Floridians, we're used to storms, so we stayed in touch every few hours, checking on water levels, power outages, etc.

First thing Friday morning, we chatted. She told me that the water level of the lake behind her house had overflowed into the yard but hadn't reached her house. I checked the weather and saw that the storm should be over soon. She thought everything would be okay and fell back to sleep. Around 11 a.m., she woke up to a huge boom and sat up to see water gushing up from her floors. She called me frantic, so I talked her through securing her cats in carriers, gathering their medication (one is diabetic) and food, gathering personal items, and staying on her bed. She called 911, but they told her the roads were impassable and they couldn't get to her until later that night or the next morning. The water continued to rise, so she moved everything to her kitchen island, just in time to see her mattress float off her bed frame. Water was pouring in through her electrical outlets, so she called 911 again. They told her there was nothing they could do to help her and that she should try to leave. She tried to swim out, but the water pressure was too strong.

In less than 2 hours, her house was under 4 feet of water. Her car, which was parked in her garage, was under 5 feet of water. I checked maps trying to figure out how to get to her, but her house was a few miles from the blockade and all of the roads were underwater. I stayed on the phone with her throughout all of it and remember her sobbing and saying, "I'm going to die here. I'm going to drown. I'm so scared."

Thankfully, one of her neighbors knew she was in there alone and came to rescue her and her cats with their boat. She stayed with them until the water receded before returning to her home. The floors were coated in thick mud and everything within 4 feet of the floor was destroyed. Once the roads reopened, she got a rental car and drove to Raleigh to stay with friends.

Hurricane Helene caught all of us off guard - even those of us who have experience with hurricanes. It just didn't seem realistic that a hurricane would make it this far inland and over mountains. And unfortunately, like most of us in WNC, Elizabeth didn't have flood insurance.

A local church assisted in removing her destroyed belongings (which was almost everything), pulled out all the flooring, baseboards, 4' high of sheetrock, and insulation. But now she needs flood remediation and repairs. Her house needs to be dried, the wood treated, electrical inspected, and have new walls and floors installed. Not to mention, all of her furniture replaced. At the moment, Elizabeth has absolutely nothing other than a bag of clothes and her two cats.

The goal is to raise $150,000. That amount seems completely unrealistic to us, but that's what it will cost to replace everything she lost. Even if you can spare $5, know that she is ever so appreciative.