In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, many lives have been lost, including that of a little boy and his grandparents. The late child’s aunt detailed what happened via a lengthy post she shared online.
CBS News recently reported that Hurricane Helene has claimed the lives of at least 135 people. Of all the states that were impacted by the storm, the Carolinas are said to have experienced the worst of the hurricane’s damage, as over 80 civilians have been found dead there, according to officials.
The news outlet shared the devastating story of a mother, her son, and her parents stranded on a house’s rooftop in Ashville, North Carolina. Helpless bereaved mom Megan Drye watched her 7-year-old son, Micah, and her parents get swept away by a flood after the home collapsed into the water.
While Megan was rescued, little Micah and his grandparents met a different, very unfortunate fate. Providing more clarity on the tragedy, Megan’s sister, Jessica Drye Turner, shared updates on Facebook.
In the section of her post that she clarified was made on September 30, Jessica began by divulging the emotional turmoil she still finds herself in as she reconciles the fact that her parents and nephew are gone.
However, she noted, “I feel a bit guilty bc I’m so at peace with things. We will see them again one day and there’s nothing that could entice them to come back after being with Jesus.”
After Jessica finished making revelations about spirituality and her belief that her parents no longer feel the same level of panic, fear, and desperation as they did in their last moments, she acknowledged her sister’s grief. “I’m sick that Megan has to live with those images but they are no longer here […] It will be a long road for Megan,” expressed Jessica.
She then mentioned the tough time that also lies ahead for her and their other sister, Heather Kephart. Transitioning the focus of the message to her deceased nephew, Jessica disclosed, “They just found Micah’s body. He was found 1/4 of a mile past where they found Megan […] He was such a perfect little boy. He wanted to be a superhero. And now he is.”
The bereaved aunt then revealed, “The last thing [Micah] yelled before he was taken was, ‘Jesus! Please help me!'” Ending this update, Jessica penned, “And I still loudly call on His name! New grief and strong faith. New motto.”
Aside from reflecting on her, Megan’s, and Heather’s grief and emotions, Jessica also shared a detailed account of the moment her sister, nephew, and parents were in the eye of the storm fearing for their lives.
In the message, it was revealed that Megan, who was lodged between two trailers after being swept away by the current, ended up waiting three hours until she was rescued.
Like Jessica, a friend of Heather’s named Amanda Sprouse Simpkins also shared a post about the sad news on her Facebook account.
In her message, Amanda urged, “Please pray for Megan, Jessica Drye Turner, and Heather and the rest of the family. The loss Megan has endured is profound. She is left with nothing. If you feel led please give. If you can’t, please pray.”
Amanda’s plea to the public to donate what they can to help refers to the GoFundMe page Heather organized for her sister.
“For Megan Drye, our miracle, who has lived a mother’s worst nightmare. She has survived the unimaginable and lost absolutely everything. The support of others will carry her and encourage her to keep taking one breath, one step, and one day at a time,” reads a portion of the page’s description.
Adding another heartbreaking note to the already devastating ordeal is the fact that Heather used the last photo Micah’s grandmother took of the adorable little boy.
The image shows Micah, dressed in a Jurassic World T-shirt, smiling for the camera as his grandmother is seen taking the photo in the reflection of the door Micah stood in front of.
We extend our most heartfelt condolences to Micah’s mom, aunts, and other family members who are mourning such a significant loss.
Hurricane Helene’s aftermath continues to devastate various states across the US, despite the locations having done what they could do to combat the worst of the storm’s effects. One such safety tactic involved the closure of 15 schools in Georgia, which we reported on September 26.
The following school districts had already closed earlier in the week of September 23: Catoosa County Public Schools (which also stipulated that there would be no evening activities), Chickamauga City Schools, Cohutta Arrows Kingdom Academy, Dade Co. Schools, and Dalton Public Schools.
In addition to these institutions, Gordon County Schools, Learning Tree Elementary School, Walker Co. Schools (which suspended evening activities), Whitfield Co. Schools, Whitfield County Schools, all branches of Northwest GA Regional Libraries, and Oakwood Christian Academy, had also closed already.
Schools that were set to close on September 26 and September 27, were Dalton State, which dismissed its students at 12:30 pm, GA Northwestern Technical College – All Campuses (closed at 3:00 pm), and Union Co. Schools.
In addition to the closing of the school districts, the governor of the state, Brian Kemp, had declared a State of Emergency for all of Georgia’s 159 counties. According to News Channel 9, at that time, Georgia was the only state that had closed schools.
The news outlet pledged to keep civilians updated on whether there would be any school closings in Tennessee, another state that was set to be affected by the hurricane.
However, according to an X post shared by Brooks Garner, most schools across Florida had also decided to suspend classes on September 26, as Hurricane Helene was set to make landfall in Tallahassee and Apalachee Bay as soon as that same evening.
“This will cause widespread severe damage with weeks-long power outages in some areas […] In Central Florida and Orlando, tropical storm conditions will develop this afternoon and evening with winds of 40–60 mph in gusts and tornadoes,” read part of his statement.
9/26 5:30am — HURRICANE HELENE
School is out across most of Florida today, as Helene continues to churn northward, set to make landfall in Apalachee Bay and Tallahassee this evening as a major hurricane. This will cause widespread severe damage with weeks-long power outages in… pic.twitter.com/o4qL5EME0A— Brooks Garner (@BrooksWeather) September 26, 2024
With Florida’s capital city having braced for the impact of such a major hurricane that the area had not faced in over a century, civilians were urged to prepare for the worst.
BBC reported that Hurricane Helene, which was initially listed as a category 1 storm, would intensify rapidly into a category 4 hurricane by the time it reached Florida. Official forecasts had deemed the impacts as “catastrophic,” “life-threatening,” and “unsurvivable.”