ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Kuroe Gray stepped into knee-deep water early on Friday morning.

The high school freshman was roused from sleep around 8 a.m. by her father shouting that their house was flooding. Kuroe, 14, barely had a moment to put on shoes before she had to evacuate on a rescue boat, as reported by the Asheville Citizen Times, a part of the YSL News Network.

When she made her escape, the water had already reached halfway up the family’s front door.

This week, Western North Carolina experienced significant rainfall, receiving up to 8 inches in several locations. Subsequently, Hurricane-turned-tropical-storm Helene compounded the issue by unleashing even more rain, exacerbating the flooding in the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers. The storm also caused strong winds, tearing down trees and power lines across Buncombe County, which left over 100,000 customers of Duke Energy without electricity that morning.

On Friday, Lyman Street in Asheville’s River Arts District was submerged by the French Broad River, which flooded the nearby greenway and partially inundated surrounding structures. Residents gathered on the river bridge to see debris carried downstream on the swift currents, while pigeons struggled against the winds, retreating to a safer spot beneath the bridge.

In East Asheville, Kuroe and her father, David Gray, 58, were forced out of their home at River Ridge Apartments, located next to her grandmother, Sharon Gray, 83, due to flooding from the Swannanoa River.

Sharon Gray recounted to the Citizen Times how the floodwaters had swept away her wheelchair and walker. The rescue operation was extremely painful, leading her to fear for her life.

“I haven’t walked in over a year,” she stated. “And there I was, actually walking so I could reach the boat.”

David noted that the family lost nearly all their possessions, saving only their guinea pig, named Brown, a cat named Ellie, and some medications.

They had been preparing for the storm, however.

“I was ready for power outages and had filled bathtubs with water, stocked up on food and water,” David Gray explained. “I had battery packs and camping gear ready for cooking.”

But how can a family adequately prepare for what one county official described as a “500-year flood?”

“As the water continued to rise, I realized it was worse than I anticipated,” he noted. “Before long, the dam was opened, and the water surged in.”

FEMA and National Guard provide aid following the flooding disaster

In the early hours on Friday, Buncombe County mandated evacuations from the North Fork Reservoir to Biltmore Village along the Swannanoa River due to breach concerns.

Rescue crews have performed over 40 swift-water rescues in the area, as stated by county spokesperson Lillian Govus. More teams from Illinois, New Jersey, and other regions in North Carolina have arrived to assist, she added.

An urban search and rescue team of 82 personnel from FEMA is also aiding in the rescue operations, as reported by the City of Asheville. The National Guard is providing additional support.

The Gray family, forced to leave River Ridge, found refuge at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, which was designated as an emergency shelter early on Friday.

Upon their arrival at the shelter, the worst of the weather had passed. Tourists wandered Haywood Street, taking photos of the damages, with branches littering the sidewalks and streets.

Eventually, the sun broke through the clouds.

Meanwhile, the Gray family stood in the lobby of Harrah’s, among over 400 evacuees, all fearing they had lost everything and contemplating their next steps.

Brown, the guinea pig, remained in the family’s Toyota parked across the street, and David worried it might be towed. The parking garage at Harrah’s was too low for him to enter.

Fortunately, they found her still relaxing inside her carrier next to her owner.

And Kuroe was still without shoes.