Hurricane Helene: North Carolina family loses 11 people as bodies continue to be found

A North Carolina family is mourning the loss of 11 loved ones in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as residents and officials in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee continue to recover bodies, nearly two weeks after Helene devastated the region.

The Craig family, who live in an area known as “Craigtown” in Fairview, a suburb of Asheville, lost eleven members to a mudslide that occurred “without warning from unprecedented rainfall” during Helene’s worst in the early hours of September struck 27, according to a GoFundMe for the family titled “Support the Craig Family After Tragic Loss.”

GoFundMe described the Craig family as “pillars of the community.”

A resident near the Craigs told Fox News Digital that the 11 deceased family members lived in several houses next to each other that were destroyed by the mudslide as it cascaded down the mountainside near their homes.

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“All donations are greatly appreciated by the entire family – they will go toward home reconstruction, funeral arrangements, medical expenses, unemployment during the grieving process, etc.,” reads a description of the GoFundMe page.

Tony Garrison, a father of two and a firefighter with the Fairview Fire Department and Garren Creek Fire Department, died while trying to rescue people from the mudslides. Some victims who were in the area during the devastation are still missing.

Tony Garrison, a father of two and a firefighter with the Fairview Fire Department and Garren Creek Fire Department, died while trying to rescue people from the mudslides. (Facebook)

In Green Mountain, about an hour north of Fairview on the other side of the Pisgah Forest, another family is mourning the loss of two young boys and their parents who also died Sept. 27.

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According to a GoFundMe page titled “Tribute to Alison, Knox, Felix and Lucas,” Alison Wisely and her two sons, 9-year-old Felix and 7-year-old Lucas, were found dead after trying to save her on Friday Wisely’s fiancé, Knox Petrucci, has yet to be recovered.

Alison Wisely and her two sons, 9-year-old Felix and 7-year-old Lucas, were found dead after attempting to leave their home on Friday, according to a GoFundMe page: “In honor of Alison, Knox, Felix and Lucas.” Wisely’s fiancé, Knox Petrucci, has yet to be recovered. (North Buncombe Elementary PTO)

“On Friday around noon during the storm, they tried to escape from their house by car. ” says a description of the fundraiser. “So far, the bodies of Aly, Felix and Lucas have been recovered. The search for Knox is ongoing and multiple agencies are working tirelessly to find him so he can be buried with his family.”

As of Wednesday, more than 230 people have died near Helene, although the death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than 3,200 people were subsequently rescued in North Carolina, but an unknown number of people are still missing in the southern Appalachian region.

Hurricane Helene: North Carolina residents struggle to survive as basic goods become scarce

Workers, community members and business owners clear debris after Hurricane Helene in Marshall, North Carolina, September 30, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On a Facebook page titled “Hurricane Helene Safety Check In,” hundreds of people from across the country posted photos and descriptions of their loved ones and asked if locals had seen them, as there remains no cell service in the area and WiFi is rare in the area. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for some survivors, particularly in mountainous areas, to check in with friends and family.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) told Fox News Digital in a statement that officials are “working with FEMA to respond to deaths related to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and to ensure proper disaster procedures and plans are in place.”

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Scott Richardson surveys his collapsed and destroyed home after Helene’s death on September 28 in Boone, North Carolina. (Reuters/Jonathan Drake)

“Recovery efforts remain focused on providing assistance and support to people who need it, including support when a family member or loved one has died. Anyone seeking help locating a loved one who is missing or missing can call 2-1-1.”

“Any hurricane-related death is a tragedy. If a family or individual seeks help for a deceased loved one, emergency responders are available in every affected county to provide assistance and ensure that the loved one is treated with dignity and respect. They deserve it.

NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY ‘Hunt’ for missing teachers in ‘devastating’ aftermath of Hurricane Helene

A river cuts through an asphalt road in Black Mountain, North Carolina (Black Mountain Police Chief Parker)

Black Mountain Police Chief Steve Parker told Fox News: Digital search and rescue efforts will continue in the western North Carolina mountain town until “attempts are made to locate every single person.”

“We will continue our efforts until we attempt to rescue every last person.”

— Steve Parker, Black Mountain Police Chief

“Obviously I don’t have a number because this is something we run through Buncombe County and our incident command structure. We know that people lost their lives in the storm and there are still many people missing. But I can. “Tell them that all resources have arrived,” he said.

“Yesterday someone from Los Angeles, California came to the rescue and recovery and said, ‘Where do you need me? How can I help?’ … We will continue our efforts until we attempt to recover every single person.”

Since the worst of Hurricane Helene, local and state officials and local and foreign volunteer rescue organizations have been working to send personnel and supplies up the steep mountain roads severely damaged by Helene in western North Carolina. (Samaritan’s Purse)

Parker said the first five days of search and rescue were chaotic, but local Black Mountain officials pulled together to save more than 450 people. Since then, the community has received help from federal officials and the Red Cross.

“The first five days were tough and I would have liked to have seen resources move much faster than they have,” Parker said. “But I also think that this is due to the communication problems that no one could help with. …We’re fine now, but we know another storm is coming over Florida. What will it look like for us next week?

He added that he wants to ensure Western North Carolina continues to receive coverage in the coming weeks.

Swannanoa residents walk through devastating flood damage to the Swannanoa River in western North Carolina on September 29, 2024. (Travis Long/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The police chief said it was “amazing” to see how the community came together after a tragedy.

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“The other day a gentleman said, ‘I never knew my neighbors.’ But he said, ‘Joe here needed this, and Susie here needed that, and Jake over there needed that. And we all got it for them.’ So they work together to help each other and really become a community.”

Downtown Black Mountain has remained relatively intact, and as the city works over the next month or two to rebuild and restart its water system, it hopes tourists will return to the area, which is most active in the fall is leaves in the mountains change their color.