11 Members Of Same Family Die In 'Devastating' Hurricane Helene Aftermath

For decades, the Craig family has lived in the tiny town of Fairview, North Carolina. That hamlet sits a dozen miles southeast of Asheville in the state’s western reaches of the Appalachian Mountains.

And on September 27, after Hurricane Helene made landfall, it was all completely wiped out. According to multiple news reports from local outlets in the Tarheel State, 11 individual members of the Craig family died in flooding and destruction brought about by the torrential rains and storms of Hurricane Helene.

According to Fox News Digital and others, a landslide swept through Fairview back on September 27 amid Hurricane Helene’s torrential rains. The extended Craig family — parents, cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. — had long lived in a series of houses in one section of the tiny village that had affectionately come to be known as “Craigtown.” Sadly, their houses were destroyed in a landslide coming through the valley, and 11 family members were killed in the horrible tragedy.

Surviving family member Jesse Craig told ABC 11 News that he lost his mother, father, uncle, aunt, great-uncle, and great-aunt in the Hurricane Helene aftermath, along with several cousins and second cousins:

“My mother and father, my aunt and uncle, my great aunt and uncle — I’ve lost cousins, second cousins, things like that, but 11 people overall from this mudslide.”

According to Jesse, the family has a very long history in the area. His grandfather first purchased large plots of land in Fairview way back after World War II. But now, all the homes the Craig family had built on the land are gone. Jesse lamented:

“It’s unrecognizable now, but this is where I was born and raised.”

His wife MeKenzie Craig went on to add:

“We’ll never make sense of it. You know, it’s our community and our town. I don’t know that it’ll ever be the same. It’s been that life-altering a situation.”

Another surviving family member, Bryan Craig, spoke to WLOS 13 News about the tragedy. According to Bryan, the home where his now-deceased parents lived was picked up by flood waters and moved hundreds of yards away from where it had stood for decades:

“A lot of the house is right here; we found a lot of pieces of the house, clothing, and hats. It’s been a tough week and a half, it’s devastating.”

Tragically, among the debris left behind were items from a family wedding that the Craigs had celebrated on the land just a couple weeks before Hurricane Helene swept across the region. Bryan went on:

“You come walking out of this debris with a fan from the wedding; how does that make it? We’re going to have some really great pictures from that wedding and pictures of people who are no longer with us.”

Thankfully, a neighbor has already started a GoFundMe to help get the surviving Craig family members get back on their feet. On that fundraising page (which you can view HERE), organizer Steelie Runion called the Craigs “pillars of the community,” and wrote:

“Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated by the entire family — it will go towards rebuilding homes, funeral arrangements, medical expenses, unemployment during the grieving process, etc.”

As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised more than $170,000 of its $300,000 fundraising goal.

In addition to Steelie’s online efforts at fundraising, another local Runion family member — neighbor Sam Runion — spoke to WRAL about how devastating it has been to realize that nearly a dozen members of the Craig family were wiped out. Calling the tragedy “a complete loss for the community,” Sam said:

“They call it ‘Craigtown’ because the Craigs are there. It’s kind of a country thing, I guess, but they’re just pillars of the community. They would do anything for you. They really do have servants’ hearts. That’s the best way I could put it. They would be more uncomfortable around you for you to feel better and they were just loving people.”

Such a horrible tragedy. As of Thursday, per CBS News, at least 238 people across six southern states have died as a result of Hurricane Helene. The hurricane first made landfall as a Category 4 storm along the Gulf Coast of Florida late on the night of September 26.

Sadly, those in the mountains of North Carolina and other affected areas will be rebuilding their homes — and their lives — for months and years to come. We send all our condolences.

[Image via GoFundMe]