Triplets Survived Hurricane Helene by Sheltering on Their Kitchen Counter: 'Only Thing We Could Do Was Pray'

Mar. 15, 2025

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Fairview, N.C.Photo:Sean Rayford/Getty

Sean Rayford/Getty

“As the water kept on rising, it started shooting through the door, the water pressure busted the door open and a whole bunch of wood started to come into the house,” he said.

“We just sat on the counter and the only thing we could do was pray,” he added. “About 30 minutes later the water started receding.”

Aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Fairview, North Carolina.Sean Rayford/Getty

Once it was safe to go outside, the siblings say they realized the scale of the surrounding devastation.

Henri’s truck and Ian’s car were also lost in the storm, as were family antiques.

Among the few things that remained were pictures of their brother Jason, who died as a child, and a few small toy trucks that Jason played with, which Ian called “the most important thing to my dad at the moment, and this is all we could save.”

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The siblings' dad, who also lives at the Fairview house with them, wasn’t home when Helene hit, which they said they were grateful for considering his medical condition.

“He had knee surgery, he could barely walk and then he was diagnosed with cancer,” Ian explained.

“I do believe if he wasn’t diagnosed with cancer, he would have been here, and I don’t think he would have made it out,” Ian said. “When we escaped, the mud was to our knees and the water would have swept him away.”

AGoFundMehas been set up for the Marlowe family to help them rebuild their lives and return to normalcy.

To learn more about how to help with relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Helene,click here.

source: people.com