The small North Carolina town of Craigtown will never be the same again. Eleven family members died when Hurricane Helene’s “biblical devastation” tore through their 80-year-old homestead.
The mudslide killed Jesse Craig’s mother, father, aunt, uncle, great aunt, uncle, cousins, and second cousins. It broke his whole world. The land that Jesse’s grandfather bought in 1943 is “unrecognizable now.”
Helene erased the memories of the Craigs who were born and raised in Craigtown. The neighborhood, which used to be a sign of family history, is now in ruins.
Rescue teams and K9 units are still searching through the wreckage, which is a sad reminder of how dangerous the storm was. Helene is the deadliest storm to hit the mainland since Katrina. It has killed 230 people in six states.
MeKenzie, Jesse’s wife, is having a hard time dealing with the loss. “It doesn’t feel new; it feels like forever.” Even though they are sad, the family gets stronger. Jesse put an American flag on the part of the tree that had fallen, which was a sign of hope.
The Craigs promise to build again on the same land because they don’t want the storm to erase their history. She says, “This isn’t a quick fix; it’s a long haul.”
As the community starts the long, hard process of getting better, the Craigs’ story is a powerful lesson of how powerful nature can be and how strong family bonds are.
Our thoughts are with the Craig family and everyone else who has been hurt by Hurricane Helene. Send your condolences and support to the families of the dead.
