Numerous people have perished in the wake of Hurricane Helene, including a little child and his grandparents. The aunt of the deceased youngster wrote a long article that she uploaded online that described what transpired.
According to a recent CBS News report, at least 135 individuals have lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Helene. According to officials, the Carolinas reportedly suffered the worst damage from the hurricane out of all the states affected, with over 80 civilian deaths discovered there.
The horrifying account of a mother, her son, and her parents becoming stranded on a house rooftop in Ashville, North Carolina, was published by the news outlet. The house crumbled into the river, leaving Megan Drye, a helpless widowed mother, to watch her 7-year-old son Micah and her parents being carried away by a flood.
Little Micah and his grandparents had a horrible, very sad fate, while Megan was saved. Jessica Drye Turner, Megan’s sister, provided additional details about the tragedy by posting updates on Facebook.
Jessica started out by sharing the emotional anguish she’s still experiencing as she comes to terms with the loss of her parents and nephew in the section of her post that she indicated was made on September 30.
However, she noted, “I feel a bit guilty because I’m so at peace with things. We will see them again one day and there’s nothing that could entice them to come back after being with Jesus.”
After Jessica finished making revelations about spirituality and her belief that her parents no longer feel the same level of panic, fear, and desperation as they did in their last moments, she acknowledged her sister’s grief. “I’m sick that Megan has to live with those images but they are no longer here […] It will be a long road for Megan,” expressed Jessica.
She then mentioned the tough time that also lies ahead for her and their other sister, Heather Kephart. Transitioning the focus of the message to her deceased nephew, Jessica disclosed, “They just found Micah’s body. He was found 1/4 of a mile past where they found Megan […] He was such a perfect little boy. He wanted to be a superhero. And now he is.”
The bereaved aunt then revealed, “The last thing [Micah] yelled before he was taken was, ‘Jesus! Please help me!’” Ending this update, Jessica penned, “And I still loudly call on His name! New grief and strong faith. New motto.”
In addition to discussing her own pain and feelings, as well as those of Megan and Heather, Jessica gave a thorough description of the time her parents, sister, and nephew were in the center of the storm and were afraid for their lives.
The letter revealed that Megan had to wait three hours for rescue after becoming trapped between two trailers due to the current.
Similar to Jessica, Amanda Sprouse Simpkins, a friend of Heather’s, also posted on Facebook about the unfortunate news.
In her message, Amanda urged, “Please pray for Megan, Jessica Drye Turner, and Heather and the rest of the family. The loss Megan has endured is profound. She is left with nothing. If you feel led, please give. If you can’t, please pray.”
Amanda is referring to the GoFundMe page that Heather set up for her sister when she asks people to contribute whatever they can.
“For Megan Drye, our miracle, who has lived a mother’s worst nightmare. She has survived the unimaginable and lost absolutely everything. The support of others will carry her and encourage her to keep taking one breath, one step, and one day at a time,” reads a portion of the page’s description.
The fact that Heather used the final picture Micah’s grandmother took of the cute little boy adds even more grief to the already terrible situation.
In the picture, Micah is seen grinning at the camera while sporting a Jurassic World T-shirt. His grandmother is seen capturing the picture in the door’s reflection.
We send our deepest sympathies to Micah’s mother, aunts, and other relatives who are going through a very difficult time.
Even if the affected states have taken all the necessary precautions to lessen the worst of the storm’s consequences, Hurricane Helene’s aftermath is still wreaking havoc on a number of US states. As we reported on September 26, one such safety measure in Georgia required closing fifteen schools.
Earlier in the week of September 23, the following school districts had already closed: Chickamauga City Schools, Dade County Schools, Dalton Public Schools, and Catoosa County Public Schools (which also declared that there would be no nighttime activities).
Along with these establishments, other closures included those of Oakwood Christian Academy, all branches of Northwest GA Regional Libraries, Walker County Schools, Whitfield Co. Schools, Gordon County Schools, Learning Tree Elementary School, and Walker County Schools (which ceased evening operations).
On September 26 and 27, Union County Schools, Dalton State, and GA Northwestern Technical College – All Campuses were scheduled to close at 3:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively.
The state’s governor, Brian Kemp, also declared a state of emergency in all 159 of Georgia’s counties in addition to the school district closures. Georgia was the only state with closed schools at the time, according to News Channel 9.
The news organization promised to inform the public if Tennessee, another state where the hurricane was expected to strike, planned to close any schools.
However, according to an X post by Brooks Garner, the majority of Florida schools also decided to call off classes on September 26 in anticipation of Hurricane Helene’s anticipated landfall in Tallahassee and Apalachee Bay that same evening.
“This will cause widespread, severe damage with weeks-long power outages in some areas… In Central Florida and Orlando, tropical storm conditions will develop this afternoon and evening with winds of 40–60 mph in gusts and tornadoes,” read part of his statement.
Residents were advised to prepare for the worst as Florida’s capital city braced for the effects of a powerful hurricane that the region has not seen in more than a century.
Hurricane Helene was originally classified as a category 1 storm, but the BBC anticipated that it would quickly strengthen into a category 4 hurricane by the time it reached Florida. Officials predicted that the effects would be “catastrophic,” “life-threatening,” and “unsurvivable.”
