11 Members of the Same Family Killed During Hurricane Helene: 'An Unimaginable Tragedy'

Mar. 15, 2025

The “unimaginable tragedy,” as it was described on the GoFundMe page, took place on Sept. 27 in a town called Fairview, about 12 miles southeast of Asheville, which is lovingly known as “Craigtown.”

A resident close to the Craig family toldFox News Digitalthat the family members lived in several houses beside each other, which were all crushed during the mudslide.

Family member Jesse Craig told local media outletABC11that he lost his mother, father, aunt, uncle, great-aunt, great-uncle, cousins and second cousins in the incident.

“My mother and father, my aunt and uncle, my great aunt and uncle — I’ve lost cousins, second cousins, things like that, but 11 people overall from this mudslide,” said Jesse, whose grandfather bought land in Fairview in the mid-1900s.

An image of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.Sean Rayford/Getty

BLACK MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 30: A destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 near Fairview, North Carolina. Local residents say there are multiple deaths and missing persons in the area due to the storm, according to published reports. The death toll has topped 100 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the hurricane, according to published reports. Millions are without power due to the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday. The White House has approved disaster declarations in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states.

Sean Rayford/Getty

“It’s unrecognizable now, but this is where I was born and raised,” he added.

“We’ll never make sense of it. You know, it’s our community and our town. I don’t know that it’ll ever be the same,” Jesse’s wife MeKenzie continued to the outlet. “It’s been that life-altering a situation.”

Meanwhile, another family member, Bryan Craig, toldABC13his parents’ home ended up hundreds of yards from where it once stood.

Black Mountain near Fairview in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.Sean Rayford/Getty

BLACK MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 30: People use heavy machinery to clear a road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 near Fairview, North Carolina. Local residents say there are multiple deaths and missing persons in the area due to the storm, according to published reports. The death toll has topped 100 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the hurricane, according to published reports. Millions are without power due to the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday. The White House has approved disaster declarations in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states.

“A lot of the house is right here; we found a lot of pieces of the house, clothing, and hats,” said Bryan. “It’s been a tough week and a half, it’s devastating.”

Also among the debris are items from a family wedding celebrated just weeks before Hurricane Helene hit.

Fairview in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024.Sean Rayford/Getty

A couple gathers water for their toilets in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Fairview, North Carolina. According to reports, more than 60 people have been killed across the South due to the storm, and millions have been left without power. North Carolina has been approved for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration.

“You come walking out of this debris with a fan from the wedding; how does that make it?” Bryan told the outlet. “We’re going to have some really great pictures from that wedding and pictures of people who are no longer with us.”

The GoFundMe has so far raised more than $133,000 of its $300,000 goal.

A family friend of the Craigs said that the family members’ deaths are “a complete loss for the community.”

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“They call it ‘Craigtown’ because the Craigs are there,” Sam Runion told local media outletWRAL. “It’s kind of a country thing, I guess, but they’re just pillars of the community.”

“They would do anything for you,” Runion continued. They really do have servants' hearts. That’s the best way I could put it. They would be more uncomfortable around you for you to feel better and they were just loving people.”

Helene was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall around 11:10 p.m. local time near Perry, Fla., on Sept. 26. As of Oct. 9, at least 238 people have died across six states, according toCBS News.

source: people.com

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