Couple survives dangerous climb escaping Chimney Rock flooding: 'Thankful to be alive'
Catt and Mike hoped they just had to wait out the wind from Helene in Lake Lure, North Carolina, until they saw the flooding. After three days, the couple and their neighbors reached the evacuation point in Chimney Rock seeing unbelievable damage and destruction hiking to safety.
Stranded residents near Chimney Rock, North Carolina hike to safety
Residents near Lake Lure banded together and faced dangerous conditions from Helene's deadly flooding to make it to the evacuation point in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. This video taken over the course of three days shows Route 64 washed out in many places by the Broad River.
LAKE LURE, N.C. – Neighbors banded together to help a young family hiking through dangerous conditions in North Carolina, after historic flooding from Hurricane Helene washed away their route to safety.
Catt and Michael told FOX Weather they were drawn to western North Carolina because of the mountains and the beautiful fall colors. A former Florida and Texas resident, Catt heard the forecasts for Helene and was wary because of her experience with hurricanes, but Michael was unfamiliar with the power of a tropical system.
"Myself and the locals here included, are all used to the mountains shielding us from the worst weather, right?" Michael said. "This storm that hit, it was basically the worst storm that we had ever seen."
VIDEO SHOWS AFTERMATH IN CHIMNEY ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA, AFTER HELENE'S FLOODWATERS DECIMATED VILLAGE
More than 130 people have died across six states in the Southeast, including dozens of deaths reported in western North Carolina. More than 1,000 people are staying in nearly 30 shelters across the state and more are unaccounted for as cell service is still down for most of the region.
Chimney Rock and Lake Lure are among those communities in western North Carolina hardest hit by flooding. The damage has left parts of the community unrecognizable and unsafe to travel.
‘Our own island’
The couple didn’t realize the power of the storm until early Friday morning when a tree came through their home.
"When larger and larger trees started to fall that morning, we realized we got to get over to the neighbor's house," Catt said, adding the neighbor's house was in a clearing with fewer trees likely to fall on them.
They hoped they could just wait out the wind and the storm. It wasn’t until later on Friday that they realized the flooding on the Broad River along Lure Highway (Route 64).
"We realized through the trees we could see the river. And that's not normal, that's not at all," Michael said. "We cannot see the river or the road from that balcony normally, like a normal day, you know, you can't see through the trees too much."
Video and photos taken by Catt show the rushing water and the extent of the damage caused by flooding as chunks of Route 64 were washed away.
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"We really our own island right now," Catt says in one of her videos.
‘A cliff and rapids’
After pulling their food and supplies together, the group of neighbors also discovered a family with an infant and toddler with devastating damage to their home from a landslide. The family needed diapers and formula.
Realizing the severity of the situation, the neighbors started to take action and two groups set out to find a route to safety. Catt and Michael attempted to hike to Bat Cave Preserve, but their route was blocked by dangers created by Helene's powerful flooding.
On the hike to Bat Cave, Catt and Michael found a Lure Lake police cruiser lifted on top of giant rocks moved by the flooding.
A Lake Lure police cruiser on boulders moved by powerful flood waters. (Courtesy Catt and Mike)
"We kept hiking the trail as far as we could, but eventually there was no road, there were no boulders, there was no makeshift ridge line for us to go on. It was just a cliff and rapids," Michael said. "So we ended up trying to go to the right and hike up the mountain to get around it or try to. We slipped multiple times."
They turned back, leaving notes for other hikers along the way to warn them not to attempt the journey to Bat Cave.
"Even though we didn't make it to Bat Cave and found out that the road was really treacherous and dangerous, and we're thankful to be alive. It was not for naught, because we were able to tell the hikers we ran into that morning," Michael said.
After reuniting with their neighbors, they helped each other find a route to the evacuation area. Another neighbor had hiked toward Chimney Rock and was able to get the family with young children to the evacuation point.
Lake Lure Highway in Chimney Rock, North Carolina on Sept. 29, 2024.
Catt said several pets, including their own cat, had to be carried across the difficult hike.
"They carried our cat for us. At certain points, we helped pick up their dog, we were doing the best we could to help each other out," Catt said. "We were passing along luggage, you know, grabbing hands, helping people climb further up."
The couple is thankful to a family who took them to multiple hotels in Rutherford County until they found one with an open room.
Now, they are trying to access FEMA disaster benefits and are worried about their belongings at home. The couple left out some supplies that could help other desperate people, but they hope no one takes things they don't need or opens locked doors.
Family and friends have started GoFundMe fundraisers for Catt and Michael and several of their neighbors who suffered major losses during Helene.