Stranded Bachelorette Party Attendees Turned to Prayer After Hurricane Helene Left Them Without Cell Service or Power for Days

Mar. 15, 2025

Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville, N.C. on October 1, 2024.Photo:Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

The Massachusetts native and her bridesmaids and friends planned to head south to a remote mountainside cabin in Asheville for the festivities.

Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville, N.C. on September 30, 2024.Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty

Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty

The situation soon intensified as the women lost cell service with no way to communicate with anyone outside of their immediate group.

“That was the worst part, knowing that I’m such a communicative person, and I’m always reaching out to family, friends and my fiancé, and so when they stopped hearing from me, I knew they would know something’s wrong,” Donnelly told WBZ. Her family did create a group chat to seek any updates they could.

They soon had no running water and were slowly running out of food because the refrigerator also lost power. The group decided to leave the area and hike down the mountainous terrain.

“It got to a point where every girl was like secluding themselves and crying on their own because it was crazy,” Costa said, adding that one of the women was praying out loud.

The man was searching for stranded people and helped the girls plan to evacuate the mountain. He assured them that if they could hike to the bottom of the mountain, he would rescue them the next day, Sunday, Sept. 29.

Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville on October 1, 2024.Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

They hiked for three hours down Elk Mountain, although their hike wasn’t without complications. One woman was hospitalized when they got home in Massachusetts for an infected bee sting, while several other women got poison ivy.

“The people were amazing," Costa said. “They were offering if you wanted to go shower at their house, rides, etc.”

“I have never met nicer people than the people on that mountain and in the Asheville area in general,” Donnelly added.

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Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville on September 28, 2024.Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

“Nobody is really seeing what’s going on up there and there’s a lot of people who need help,” Donnelly told WBZ. “A lot of people who have not been able to contact their families, a lot of people who can’t make it down that mountain. That was a really, really rough journey down.”

“Literally, when I say, I cannot believe I am standing here today. That is a feeling in my gut that I thought I was not going to make it,” Costa added.

They saved the contact information of those who helped them and hope to return the favor to residents still trapped around Elk Mountain through aGoFundMepage.

source: people.com