Man loses 11 family members in Hurricane Helene: Report
"We'll never make sense of it," Jesse Craig said.
A North Carolina man says he lost 11 members of his family to Hurricane Helene.
Jesse Craig's mother, father, aunt, uncle, great-aunt, great-uncle, cousins and second cousins were among the more than 230 people so far who died after Helene brought devastating rain, unprecedented flooding, mudslides and extensive damage to six southern states, including Craig's home state of North Carolina.
The Craig family primarily lived in Fairview, North Carolina, about 12 miles southeast of Asheville. Both Fairview and Asheville, among other cities and towns in Buncombe County in the western region of the state, were hit particularly hard by extreme flooding, conditions that county officials on Sept. 28 described as "biblical devastation."
"It's unrecognizable now, but [Fairview] is where I was born and raised," Jesse Craig told ABC Durham affiliate WTVD Oct. 8, adding that his family had been in the region for the last 80 years and locals even referred to the area informally as "Craigtown."
According to WTVD, Helene's effects led to a mudslide that wiped out multiple homes in Fairview and the people inside them.
"We'll never make sense of it. You know, it's our community and our town. I don't know that it'll ever be the same," Jesse Craig said.
Friends and community members are rallying behind Jesse Craig and his wife MeKenzie Craig and have started an online fundraiser to help with funeral costs and medical expenses for other family members who remain in the hospital after the storm.
The Craigs told WTVD they will continue to raise awareness about the devastation left by Helene and are committed to rebuilding Fairview.
"We don't want people to forget months down the road. This isn't just a week or two fix," MeKenzie Craig said.
Added Jesse Craig, "We have to be in it for the long haul. This is going to take years of work to repair, to try to have it recognizable again."