The rain had been relentless for days as Hurricane Helene swept through in late September last year.
Bryan Nicholas and his girlfriend watched as water levels rose, transforming their familiar yard into a treacherous landscape.
By 10:30 the next morning, the Nolichucky River, a river that flows from western North Carolina to East Tennessee, had swollen to waist depth.
“It was starting to go over the driveway in the fields,” Bryan recalled. “The neighbors had already lost their camper, and everything was beginning to float away.”
Inside Nicholas’ house, water was already a foot high and rising quickly. They barely escaped, being some of the last people to cross the bridge on Highway 107 before it was washed out.
Within 20 minutes, the floodwaters changed everything. “The water came up and actually lifted the trailer, rotated it 90 degrees, and washed it across the field into the neighbor’s property,” Bryan described.
The next day, Bryan and his girlfriend returned to survey the damage. Four feet of mud covered what remained of their property. Bits and pieces were all that could be salvaged from what was now a total loss.
“Words can’t explain the emotions running through our heads,” Bryan said. “Seeing everything like this is just too much to imagine.”
Hope emerged
But in the midst of devastation, hope emerged.
“As soon as we came back, neighbors — some we didn’t even know — offered us food, shelter, water, anything we needed,” he explained. “The community here was amazing.”
Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers from Brentwood Baptist Church stepped in to help rebuild. The work progressed quickly, with framing going up and utilities being installed.
“It is amazing to see people from other areas coming to help,” he said. “It means a lot to me, to my girlfriend, and to our entire community. We’re truly thankful for the Tennessee Baptist group.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Zoë Watkins and originally published by Baptist and Reflector.
