ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A lone pink rose stood proudly on a twisted bush beside the remnants of the Drye family’s home, which was destroyed 16 days ago, its vibrant bloom a bright contrast against the muddy ground.

Two thorny branches, each with an unopened rosebud, clung tenaciously to the bush. Despite facing floodwaters that rose 27 feet above the road, this resilient plant basked in the sun of Asheville. Other plants and at least one tree also survived the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.

Megan Drye found comfort in the three roses on a Sunday afternoon in mid-October.

She feels they are a message from her family—her parents and young son—who all lost their lives when their home collapsed into the Swannanoa River on September 27. Megan, 39, was the only survivor of the disaster that claimed the lives of her 7-year-old son, Micah Drye, as well as her parents, Nora and Michael Drye, both aged 73.

Micah was not alone among the children who perished in the storm. Felix Wisely, 9, and his 7-year-old brother Lucas also died. At least another student from Buncombe County Schools has been confirmed dead, while around 20 remain unaccounted for. Superintendent Rob Jackson stated the district is “continuing to search” for them, hoping that many are safe with relatives.

As the nation shifted its focus to Florida’s devastation from Hurricane Milton, North Carolina continued to grapple with the aftermath of Helene, grieving those confirmed lost and waiting for news of the missing.

In Buncombe County, home to Asheville, there have been at least 72 confirmed deaths, the highest in western North Carolina’s total of 124, as reported by YSL News Network. Officials expect more casualties as search and rescue operations are still underway.

Megan Drye and her family are now focused on celebrating the lives of their loved ones instead of mourning their losses.

“Micah was a piece of all of us,” she shared with the Asheville Citizen-Times, part of the YSL News Network. “He was quiet—actually quite shy—until he opened up, just like my Mom, and then he became your best friend.

“And he was loving, just like my dad and me,” she added. “He carried a bit of everyone within him.”

Drye sisters await news as the flood rages on

As floodwaters rose, Megan texted her sisters, who live in different states, that they had taken refuge on the roof of their home. Despite cell service being down, Megan managed to communicate via satellite after a recent phone upgrade.

Her sister Jess Drye Turner quickly turned to Facebook to alert others of the escalating crisis.

“They are watching trucks and cars being swept away,” she wrote as the flood continued to wreak havoc. “This is truly a time where faith is all we have. God knows the outcome already.”

She later posted a picture Megan had taken of her sneakers on the roof, water almost reaching the eaves, and two hours later added a second picture that garnered thousands of reactions.

Drye Turner did not update her post for nearly 11 hours. When she did, she wrote that her parents and nephew had drowned. Megan, who got swept into the river when the house collapsed, was later rescued after getting trapped between storage containers.

Drye Turner and her sister were still unaware of where Megan had been taken. As Jess prepared to leave Texas to go to Western North Carolina, she turned to Facebook once more, seeking help to locate Megan.

Swept away by ‘a massive wave’

Felix Wisely, 9, was fascinated by all things magical—supernatural beings, folklore, and myths that others might dismiss. His family recalled, he “enjoyed discussing the mysteries of life.”

Lucas had a unique love for superheroes. He frequently wore costumes to school, bringing smiles to teachers and staff alike. In addition, he had a strong fondness for cows.

Felix and Lucas, just like Micah, were students at Buncombe County Schools. Tragically, they lost their lives in the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Helene on September 27.

The Wisely brothers were with their mother, Alison “Aly” Wisely, and her fiancé, Knox Petrucci, while trying to evacuate from their home in Green Mountain, a small town in Yancey County.

As the clock approached noon, they loaded into their car to escape the increasingly high waters of the overflowing Toe River, as detailed by Petrucci’s sister, Briana Petrucci Yarbrough, in a news release.

Briana mentioned that a man who witnessed their escape recounted the story to surviving family members: The family tried to drive away, but their car began to drift. They got out of the vehicle and attempted to return home when “a large wave came and swept them all into the Toe River,” as reported by their father, Lance Wisely, on Facebook.

Lance further explained that their home also faced flooding, with water nearly reaching the ceiling in some areas, prompting him to wonder if staying put would have made any difference for the family.

Five days following the family’s disappearance, Lance announced that they were all assumed dead. Aly’s body was recovered the following day, and shortly after, the boys’ bodies were discovered as well.

Aly, 31, served as the sanctuary operations manager at Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, helping others navigate their grief, as Yarbrough described. Meanwhile, Knox, 41, was a beekeeper, manager, and community educator in Weaverville.

Briana described the boys as “beloved, curious, and sweet.” She emphasized how cherished they felt, describing their ability to express their vibrant imaginations freely.

A mother witnesses as her son and parents are swept away

A Facebook request from Megan Drye’s sister Jess succeeded in helping Megan. A nurse at the hospital where Megan was treated informed her director, who arranged a call between the sisters. Megan suffered a broken ankle and hypothermia but escaped serious injury.

But the trauma of witnessing her family get swept away haunted her.

The family spent hours on their roof as the floodwaters surged below them, Megan shared with her sisters. Eventually, the structure collapsed, but they managed to hold onto the floating roof. It was then that power lines and trees knocked Megan and her father into the water. Meanwhile, her mother and son remained nearby.

As her father began to drift toward the current, Megan attempted to grab him, but both of them fell in. While she managed to swim back towards safety, she lost sight of her mother and son.

However, she could still hear her 7-year-old son screaming for help.

“Jesus, save me!” he cried out, and chaos unfolded, she recounted.

Megan saw her father being carried away by the strong current. Shortly after that, her mother began calling out for young Micah. It wasn’t long before her mother drifted past Megan as well. Micah followed closely behind. Struggling to stay afloat herself, Megan and her dog Bella became entangled in a tree felled by the floodwaters, as the force of the water kept pushing her down.

At a critical moment, she felt a guiding presence encouraging her next steps.

“You must let go, and release everything holding you down,” Megan recalled the voice instructing her. With a heavy heart, she had to let go of her dog. “I remember thinking about Bella and saying, ‘I’m so sorry.’ It was a series of losses, one after the other.”

She heard what she believed to be God’s voice telling her to take off her shoes and backpack, which made her feel light enough to stop being pulled underwater. Eventually, she released her grip on the tree and became trapped between two storage trailers, where rescuers later found her.

“I didn’t start to feel completely human again until they rescued me, and that’s when I broke down,” she shared. “I don’t believe the human part of me could have survived that situation, so I think it was only God or something larger that supported me during those moments.”

Three days after the flood, the family learned that search and rescue teams had discovered Micah’s body approximately a quarter-mile from the site where Megan was rescued, and a mile away from where their home had been. Two days later, teams located their father, Michael Drye, and three days following that, they received confirmation that their mother, Nora Drye, had also been found.

Remembering their loved ones

In the aftermath of that tragic day, the three sisters are leaning on each other for support. They also find comfort in cherished family memories.

Michael always took the time to console anyone who was struggling. Jess Drye Turner, who works as a family law attorney, often joked about how she didn’t understand how her father managed it, given that he “just absorbed everything about everybody.”

Nora Drye was a resilient woman who would do anything for her family and stepped in many times to support Megan, who is a single mother.

Micah, who attended Haw Creek Elementary School, was a gentle, affectionate child who loved superheroes, dinosaurs, and Legos. He was among several victims from the Helene incident who went to Buncombe County Schools.

Buncombe County school officials have not yet responded to inquiries from YSL News Network regarding efforts to connect with the families of the approximately 20 missing students or if law enforcement is involved in those efforts.

Schools throughout western North Carolina have been conducting welfare checks following the devastation caused by Helene last month. Buncombe has been one of the first districts to report student fatalities. BCS has the largest number of schools in the area, comprising 45 schools, thousands of students, and hundreds of staff.

“The loss of any individual impacts all of us,” Jackson, the superintendent, mentioned during an emergency school board meeting on October 11. “Our educational system suffers due to this tragedy.”

As Megan Drye reflects on the roses that bloom outside her home, she feels increasingly certain that these flowers represent the spirits of her family. Micah, Nora, and Michael were all resilient individuals who persevered through every struggle they faced—even something as simple as a dimly lit kitchen. Similar to the roses, they flourished more vibrantly after overcoming obstacles.

Her focus on the plants helped ease the sadness in Megan’s voice.

“The seeds planted and the roots that have taken hold cannot be removed, and they will return to bloom again,” Megan explained. “I see this as a sign, them saying, ‘Hello, this is bigger than us.’ It’s larger than anything material.”