Helene survivor recounts escaping floodwater

AccuWeather

Swannanoa, North Carolina, resident Lance Mills recounts how he and his family escaped to the roof as floodwater from Hurricane Helene swept through their home.

Transcript

00:00The house was attached by this breezeway until the floodwater pushed it off its foundation.

00:10Like I say, the front porch used to be there where the stone steps are, and it wound up

00:18over there.

00:20And when there was nothing to hold the porch roof up, it collapsed.

00:25Like literally, Jonah stood on the back of that chair and hit the drywall with a flashlight

00:31until he broke through, got up in the attic.

00:34I didn't have the strength to pull myself up, and I sort of threw my hands in the air

00:38and was like, I don't know what to do.

00:39And they just literally grabbed me by the wrists and jointed me through that hole, and

00:42we got on the roof for part of the time it was moving.

00:46We're sitting up on that part of the roof, just waiting for someone to come and save

00:52us.

00:53But yeah, that sound right there, phew.

01:00Yeah.

01:03You know, I will have lived in North Carolina 31 years this June.

01:13Our kids were born here, and this is part of us.

01:18You know, we're part of this community, we're connected.

01:22Those roots were not shaken by this storm.

01:26That part's still here.

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