Lysa Gindinova held tightly to the hope connected to her family’s traumatic escape from Ukraine for two weeks.

She wanted to believe that they had avoided the floods from Hurricane Helene, just like they had fled the bombings in their hometown, Kherson, during the early days of Russia’s invasion.

However, that hope shattered when a sheriff in North Carolina handed her family a gold earring that a recovery team had found on a deceased woman. Gindinova instantly recognized it as a treasured item belonging to her aunt, Anastasiia Novitnia Segen.

“We saw the earring, and everyone stood silent,” Gindinova recounted to YSL News. “At that point, we couldn’t come up with any wild theories. It was evidence that they didn’t survive.”

A search team had located Anastasiia’s body about 10 miles from their home in the mountains near Asheville. Approximately a mile away, they discovered her husband Dmytro’s body, identified through a fingerprint.

As family members mourn the dear couple, search efforts continue for their 13-year-old son Yevhenii and Anastasiia’s mother, Tatiana Novitnia, who are still missing.

The many victims of Helene

The Segen family is among hundreds of individuals who have been confirmed dead or remain missing after Hurricane Helene.

Nearly three weeks following Helene’s catastrophic flooding in the southern Appalachian region, the storm’s death toll has reached at least 228 across several states. Many individuals are still unaccounted for, an issue worsened by widespread power outages and communication disruptions.

In North Carolina, as of Tuesday, Governor Roy Cooper reported that at least 81 people were still missing, noting that this figure is “not final” and could change as more information becomes available.

As search efforts enter their third week, Gindinova continues to hold onto hope that her teenage cousin, Yevhenii, will be found alive.

“It’s difficult to lose hope when no body has been found yet,” she shared. “Deep down, I still believe.”

From Ukraine to Poland to North Carolina

The Segen family lived a peaceful life in Kherson, Ukraine, a port city situated near the Black Sea.

Dmytro worked in the construction sector and earned a reputation as a skilled handyman. His wife, Anastasiia, devoted herself to caring for their son, Yevhenii, who displayed remarkable engineering abilities from an early age, often restoring old computers and gaming devices that were deemed beyond repair.

Meanwhile, Tatiana managed a large farm, spending her evenings knitting socks or creating intricate cross-stitch artworks featuring landscapes, animals, and dancers.

All of this changed when Kherson was seized by Russian troops in February 2022. As the bombardments intensified and evacuations began, Anastasiia and Dmytro realized staying was too perilous. They loaded their car with cherished possessions and, along with Yevhenii and Tatiana, fled their homeland.

The family’s journey began with a drive through western Russia, a daunting task during wartime filled with the constant risk of being stopped by Russian authorities. They successfully crossed the border.

The Segens initially traveled to Latvia before making their way through Lithuania to Poland, where they were welcomed by a family friend. For months, they faced a challenging bureaucratic process as they worked with relatives to secure permission to enter the U.S.

“It was a very tense period,” said Gindinova, who had lived close to the Segens in Ukraine before relocating to New York in 2016. “We were uncertain for a long time about their ability to come here.”

In the summer of 2022, the Segens were accepted into a humanitarian program in the U.S. that provides temporary residency for Ukrainian refugees, according to Gindinova. They flew to Miami before joining family in Micaville, North Carolina, a small community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Life for the Segens in the mountains

The Segens initially lived with Anastasiia’s sister before relocating just a short distance away into a manufactured home, proudly displaying an American flag alongside a Ukrainian flag.

This three-bedroom house, elevated a few feet off the ground, was situated close to the South Toe River, where the family embraced local traditions like swimming and trout fishing.

Dmytro found work with a nearby HVAC company, and Yevhenii enrolled in the local public school. Anastasiia balanced caring for her son and mother with jobs cleaning nearby houses and Airbnbs.

Tatiana cultivated a small garden, modest compared to what she had in Ukraine but still fruitful, growing a variety of crops like parsley, onions, garlic, and bell peppers.

The sound of the nearby river from their bedrooms reminded Tatiana of the Dnipro River near Kherson.

“She never wanted to leave Ukraine, but she was amazed when she came to North Carolina,” Gindinova said. “She adored the river and the views.”

Helene’s Fury

When Hurricane Helene reached Florida on September 26, heavy rainfall had already drenched much of western North Carolina. Outside the Segen household, the South Toe River started to overflow.

The last conversation Gindinova had with her aunt took place around 6 p.m. that evening.

“She mentioned that ‘the water in the river is rising,'” Gindinova recalled. “She made a joke hoping their house would withstand it, like the Titanic.”

The following morning, the river rose nearly 6 feet in just seven hours before the measuring gauge broke and data collection stopped.

Nearby, Anastasiia’s sister and her brother-in-law perceived a sound reminiscent of a train. They quickly took their two kids and escaped to a higher house on the mountain.

As they fled, they witnessed water engulfing their two-story home. Within a few hours, the water reached the first floor and swept away all their furniture and appliances.

The swelling river destroyed a nearby bridge and consumed entire houses, sheds, and cars. Ricky Wiebe, a relative of the Segens, likened the flooding to a fierce tidal wave.

“It was like an ocean,” said Wiebe, whose brother escaped the floodwaters with his wife and children. “Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.”

The Aftermath

For several days, Gindinova was unable to reach the Segens or her other relatives in Micaville.

She took leave from her job and sat at her computer, tuning into news reports while trying to connect with individuals searching Micaville and the adjacent areas for survivors, posting information on Facebook. She contacted rescue teams and local, state, and federal authorities.

After days of limited information, she decided to fly to North Carolina with her mother to search for the Segens herself.

As she traveled through Asheville towards Micaville, the beautiful green landscapes she cherished during family visits now resembled war-torn areas.

Gindinova observed washing machines hanging from tree branches, numerous overturned campers, and streets where every house had either been demolished or leveled.

No signs of the Segen family home remained, except for the concrete blocks it was built on. The garden, the flags, and the staircase were all gone.

She stayed with relatives near Micaville and spent several days searching the area where the Segens had lived but found no trace of them. During this time, groups from states like Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, and Alabama also came by, having heard about the Segens through social media or news stories, and were actively searching for them.

A week after Anastasiia and Dmytro were found several miles down the South Toe River, multiple teams continued to comb through vast mountainous regions looking for Yevhenii, Tatiana, and other missing individuals.

Gindinova mentioned that she has been trying to stay strong by focusing on the practical aspects of the search and planning memorial services rather than dwelling on the heartbreaking details about the Segen family.

Despite her efforts, Gindinova often reflects on the fond memories shared with the Segen family: Tatiana giving her a pair of handmade socks, Anastasiia’s comforting smile, Dmytro practicing his English, and Yevhenii handing her a 3D-printed octopus he created.

“I don’t think I’ve fully grasped the situation yet,” she said. “However, we must honor their memory as a joyful, loving family.”