Wife of police officer recounts moment Helene's flooding overtook Tennessee town
The town of Elizabethton, along with other parts of East Tennessee and western North Carolina, are trying to rebuild. But the path ahead is full of challenges, with a landscape being completely changed by Helene.
FILE: Tennessee family recounts being rescued from flooded home: 'The water continued rising'
Jeffrey and Kayla Fuller tell of how flood waters rushed into their Tennessee home during Hurricane Helene's fury setting off a mad scramble to be rescued.
Jenn Commons of Elizabethton, Tennessee, was juggling being strong for her two children while Helene wreaked havoc on their community, and not knowing how her husband, a police officer, was faring while responding to calls for help.
Located in Carter County in East Tennessee, Elizabethton and surrounding areas were just some of many in the Appalachian Mountains that saw historic flooding that devastated many homes and entire towns.
Jenn said her husband, Mike, was pulled off of his Criminal Investigation Unit to help with disaster response on Friday. That was when, after several days of rain, many roads in Carter County began to flood, causing many drivers to become stuck.
FILE: Bridge collapse in Greene County, which lies southwest of Carter County.
(Landon Duckett via Storyful / FOX Weather)
While patrolling roads by the Watauga River, Mike and his fellow officers saw the river rise and began knocking on the doors of homes along the river, telling them to leave, with his wife fortunate that their home was on higher ground.
"Within five minutes of them telling people they needed to evacuate, water was already at their house – it was rising that fast," Commons said. "That’s kind of what happened, I think, throughout all of East Tennessee and western North Carolina, is it just rose so incredibly fast."
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Flooding became so overwhelming that officers stayed out well beyond their shift to assist residents dealing with hazardous conditions. However, those hazards ended up bleeding into some of the officers’ lives.
Commons noted that a county deputy's car was washed down the river, while another became stuck in floodwater. In another part of town, an officer was trapped in his car because the water rose so quickly.
FILE: A local police car is seen half engulfed in mud, in a flooded area of Lake Lure, North Carolina, October 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene.
(Allison Joyce / AFP)
Then, cell service went out, preventing Commons from reaching her husband.
"I was kind of freaking out," she said. "I hated not being able to talk to him and know what was going on." She noted that the last time they made contact, Mike was in an area that was flooding.
In the meantime, she was with their two 7-year-old children. She noted that they were a bit stressed about not having power, but were managing overall – and unaware of the worry their mother was carrying.
"I was trying to keep calm for them, so they didn’t really know at the time that things were flooding," Commons said. "I didn’t want them to be scared at home."
"They didn’t know that I had lost contact with Mike, so I kind of kept that part from them," she added.
Finally, after an 18-hour shift, Mike made it back home, putting some of her worries to rest.
"I burst into tears," she said.
FILE: Tennessee flag and U.S. flag fly over Elizabethton, Tennessee.
(Luke Sharrett / Bloomberg / FOX Weather)
The next day, the power came back on. However, the family lost water. According to Commons, losing water was more of a struggle with her children than the lack of power, as they didn’t understand why the water was out.
Their confusion continued when the water returned, but they could not use it the way they usually would, as a boil advisory was put into place.
"I’m like, ‘No, don’t rinse your toothbrush with that water. We need to boil it’," she stated.
The town of Elizabethton, along with other parts of East Tennessee and western North Carolina, is trying to rebuild. But the path ahead is full of challenges, with a landscape being completely changed by Helene.
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"Half of the communities are just gone and don’t exist anymore," Commons said, noting the small town festivals, pumpkin patches and other events that she fears might not come back.
In the meantime, the longtime resident said people have come out to support one another.
"It’s been amazing, and it really has made me love this area even more," said Commons.