After the Flood

When 15-year-old Evelyn Sarellano Paez woke up on the morning of September 27, 2024, it was clear that something was wrong.

The atmosphere in Evelyn’s home near Asheville, North Carolina, was tense. Her mom, Maria, and her dad, Lisandro, were talking in quiet, worried voices. Her 17-year-old brother, Sebastian, was staring out the window, his face creased with concern. And Rawy, the family’s dog, was watching them all nervously.

“What’s going on?” Evelyn asked, panic squeezing her chest. Her family told her to take a look outside, so she went to the window. 

There she saw a nightmare unfolding. Rain was gusting furiously down from the sky. Giant trees were snapping like twigs. Fallen power lines lay in a tangle. Muddy brown water swirled around their house, already more than two feet deep . . . and rising steadily.

Evelyn stared in shock. She’d known that a big storm, Hurricane Helene, had been expected to head their way after hitting the Florida coast the night before. But like many people, she had assumed the storm would mostly fizzle out before it reached North Carolina. When Evelyn had gone to bed, it had been lightly raining outside—little more than a drizzle. Now, however, that rain had become a deluge that was ripping her neighborhood to shreds. 

The muddy water was rising higher and higher around their house, showing no signs of slowing down. 

The family had to get out—now. 

It was the morning of September 27, 2024. Evelyn Sarellano Paez had just woken up. It was clear that something was wrong.

Evelyn, 15, lived near Asheville, North Carolina. The mood in her home that morning was tense. Her mom, Maria, and her dad, Lisandro, were talking in quiet, worried voices. Her 17-year-old brother, Sebastian, was staring out the window. He looked concerned. The family’s dog, Rawy, was watching them all nervously.

Panic squeezed Evelyn’s chest. “What’s going on?” she asked. Her family told her to look out the window. 

There she saw a nightmare unfolding. Rain fell furiously from the sky. Giant trees were snapping like twigs. Fallen power lines lay in a tangle. Muddy brown water swirled around their house. It was more than two feet deep and rising steadily.

Evelyn stared in shock. She knew that a big storm, Hurricane Helene, had hit Florida’s coast the night before. And she had known the storm was heading their way. But like many people, she had assumed the storm would be weak when it reached North Carolina. When Evelyn had gone to bed, it had only been lightly raining. Now, however, that rain had become a deluge. It was ripping her neighborhood to shreds. 

The muddy water was rising higher and higher around their house. 

The family had to get out—now.

In the weeks leading up to that morning, Evelyn had been settling into 10th grade. She and Sebastian, a senior, were both on the cross-country team, and their season was off to a promising start: At a meet just a few days earlier, both siblings had hit personal records.

In her spare time, Evelyn went on runs through the park near her house in Swannanoa, a community on the outskirts of Asheville. She loved jogging on the park’s leafy trails, which curved alongside the sparkling Swannanoa River.

The park is just a small slice of the area’s striking natural beauty. Nestled between the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers, Asheville is surrounded by the soaring Blue Ridge Mountains. 

In recent years, the city’s population boomed as new residents were drawn to its stunning surroundings, as well as its vibrant arts scene. Perhaps even more enticing, though, was Asheville’s reputation as a “climate haven.” 

With its mild weather and protected location—tucked among mountains, far from the coast—the city was long considered safe from disasters like droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes. As climate change has made such extreme weather events more frequent and intense in recent years, people flocked to Asheville from more disaster-prone parts of the country.

Evelyn had just started 10th grade. She was on the cross-country team. Her brother, Sebastian, was a senior. He was also on the team. Their season was off to a promising start. At a meet just a few days earlier, both siblings had hit personal records.

In her spare time, Evelyn went on runs through the park near her house in Swannanoa. It’s a community outside of Asheville. She loved jogging on the park’s trails. They curved alongside the Swannanoa River.

The park is just one beautiful part of the area. Nestled between the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers, Asheville is surrounded by the soaring Blue Ridge Mountains. 

In recent years, the city’s population had boomed. New residents were drawn to the town’s stunning surroundings. It also had a vibrant arts scene. In addition, Asheville was known as a “climate haven.” 

Asheville has mild weather, and it’s tucked among mountains, far from the coast. The city was long considered safe from disasters like droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes. Climate change has made those extreme weather events more frequent and intense in recent years. People flocked to Asheville to get away from disaster-prone parts of the country. 

So when Evelyn and her family heard a storm was coming, they weren’t too worried. Usually, hurricanes weaken as they move inland. And Helene was set to make landfall more than 400 miles from Asheville, in northwest Florida. 

But what Evelyn’s family—and many others—didn’t realize is that this was no ordinary storm. 

And Asheville wasn’t as climate-proof as it seemed. 

Nearly a week earlier, when the hurricane began forming in the Caribbean Sea, the water there was abnormally warm. This is partly the result of climate change, which is causing ocean temperatures to rise. As the storm developed, the sea’s elevated temperature meant more moisture evaporated into the air. And because the air was also warmer than usual, it was able to hold more moisture as well. Heavy rain clouds took shape, spinning faster and faster in the strengthening wind. The storm then raced north over the too-warm waters toward Florida, slurping up more moisture along the way. 

Even before the main part of the storm reached land, it brought days of rain to the southeastern U.S. In Asheville, the ground became saturated. Mountain creeks filled to the brim. The normally peaceful French Broad and Swannanoa rivers swelled with angry currents.

Already, the area could not handle any more water.

So when Evelyn and her family heard a storm was coming, they weren’t too worried. Usually, hurricanes weaken as they move inland. And Helene was set to make landfall in northwest Florida. That’s more than 400 miles from Asheville.

But what Evelyn’s family—and many others—didn’t realize is that this was no ordinary storm. 

And Asheville wasn’t as climate-proof as it seemed. 

Nearly a week earlier, the hurricane began forming in the Caribbean Sea. The water was abnormally warm. This is partly because of climate change. As the storm developed, the sea’s higher temperature meant more moisture evaporated into the air. But the air was also warmer than usual. So it held more moisture as well. Heavy rain clouds took shape. They spun faster and faster in the wind. The storm then raced north over the too-warm waters toward Florida. It slurped up more moisture along the way. 

Even before the main part of the storm reached land, it brought days of rain to the southeastern U.S. In Asheville, the ground became saturated. Mountain creeks filled to the brim. The French Broad and Swannanoa rivers swelled with angry currents.

The area could not handle any more water.

Then, on September 26, Helene barreled into Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. It pummeled coastal communities with winds of 140 miles per hour. Helene then continued north, toward neighboring states and beyond. 

As it traveled inland, the winds lessened and the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm. But powered by all the water it had sucked up over the ocean, Helene continued on its devastating path.

In the early morning of September 27, while Evelyn was still asleep, the storm reached Asheville. Moisture-filled air slammed against the mountains, unleashing a downpour over the already-sodden area. “Visualize the storm as a water-soaked sponge hitting a wall,” explains Samuel Muñoz, an environmental scientist at Northeastern University. “You’re squeezing out a lot of water quickly.”

Suddenly, the same features that made Asheville such a desirable place to live now threatened to destroy the region. The French Broad and Swannanoa rivers burst over their banks. Meanwhile, the Blue Ridge Mountains acted as a funnel, channeling torrents of rain toward the city. Within hours, Asheville was disappearing under an onslaught of muddy water. 

Then, on September 26, Helene barreled into Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. It pummeled coastal communities with winds of 140 miles per hour. Helene then continued north, toward neighboring states and beyond. 

As it traveled inland, the winds lessened. The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm. But powered by all the water it had sucked up over the ocean, Helene continued on its devastating path.

In the early morning of September 27, while Evelyn was still asleep, the storm reached Asheville. Moisture-filled air slammed against the mountains, unleashing a downpour over the already-sodden area. “Visualize the storm as a water-soaked sponge hitting a wall,” explains Samuel Muñoz, an environmental scientist at Northeastern University. “You’re squeezing out a lot of water quickly.”

The features that had made Asheville such a desirable place to live now threatened to destroy the region. The two rivers burst over their banks. Meanwhile, the Blue Ridge Mountains acted as a funnel. It sent torrents of rain toward the city. Within hours, Asheville was disappearing under the muddy water.

Watching the water rise around their house, Evelyn’s family knew they didn’t have much time. They decided to make their way to a neighbor’s house on higher ground. Evelyn scooped up Rawy, their dog. Then she and her family stepped out into the raging storm.

There was water everywhere—murky and freezing and up to their waists. Evelyn slogged through the swirling currents with Rawy in her arms. All around her, her neighborhood was being torn apart. “Everything was collapsing. Trees were breaking down, houses filling with junk,” Evelyn remembers. 

At last, they made it to their neighbor’s house. No one was home, but Lisandro was able to break in through a window. Safe inside, the family watched in horror as their home down the hill was almost completely swallowed up by the floodwaters. 

All across the region, similar scenes were playing out. Houses were whisked away in muddy currents. Giant trucks were flung into trees. Waterlogged soil broke loose, creating destructive landslides as it careened down steep mountain slopes. 

Evelyn’s family saw the water rising around their house. They decided to go to a neighbor’s house on higher ground. Evelyn scooped up Rawy, their dog. Then she and her family stepped out into the raging storm.

There was water everywhere. It was murky and freezing. It went up to their waists. Evelyn slogged through the swirling currents with Rawy in her arms. All around her, her neighborhood was being torn apart. “Everything was collapsing. Trees were breaking down, houses filling with junk,” Evelyn remembers. 

At last, they made it to their neighbor’s house. No one was home. But Lisandro broke in through a window. Safe inside, the family watched in horror as their home down the hill was almost completely swallowed up by the floodwaters. 

All across the region, similar scenes were playing out. Houses were whisked away in muddy currents. Giant trucks were flung into trees. Waterlogged soil on the mountains broke loose, creating destructive landslides.

The Sarellano Paez family’s reprieve from the raging storm didn’t last long. By mid-morning, water began pouring underneath the doors of their neighbor’s house. Sebastian and Lisandro shoved everything they could find against the openings: mattresses, chairs, towels, sheets. Yet the water kept rising, creeping up the sides of the couch where Evelyn and her mom were huddled together.

Maria tried climbing up to the attic to see if they could take refuge there. But seconds later, she fell through the attic floor as it collapsed into the living room. Sebastian leaped forward and caught her just in time. There was nothing left to do but pray. 

Evelyn found herself thinking of something her cross-country coach would say during long and difficult races. “She says, ‘Don’t think about what’s going on during the competition. Just know you’re going to make it to the end and it’s all going to be over,’” Evelyn says. “That really helped me get through what was happening. I knew it was all going to be over soon. I knew we were going to make it out alive.” 

And she was right. After about two hours, to the family’s immense relief, the water began to recede.

The Sarellano Paez family’s reprieve from the raging storm didn’t last long. By mid-morning, water began pouring underneath the doors of their neighbor’s house. Sebastian and Lisandro shoved mattresses, chairs, towels, and sheets against the openings. Yet the water kept rising.

Maria went up to the attic to see if they could take refuge there. But seconds later, she fell through the attic floor as it collapsed into the living room. Sebastian caught her. There was nothing left to do but pray. 

Evelyn thought of something her cross-country coach would say during long and difficult races. “She says, ‘Don’t think about what’s going on during the competition. Just know you’re going to make it to the end and it’s all going to be over,’” Evelyn says. “That really helped me get through what was happening. I knew it was all going to be over soon. I knew we were going to make it out alive.” 

And she was right. After about two hours, the water began to recede.

By later that day, the worst of the storm had passed. But in its wake, Helene had left an unimaginable crisis. Neighborhoods had been transformed into vast brown lakes filled with upside-down cars and debris. Homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed, every inch coated with thick layers of mud and sludge. Bridges had collapsed, forests had been flattened, and water pipes had burst. Electricity and cell phone service were knocked out.

Thousands were left trapped in their homes with no way to call for help. Rescue workers combed through the area in boats and helicopters, plucking people from rooftops and the tops of trees. Some remote communities, hard to reach under normal circumstances, could now be accessed only by mule. 

Swannanoa, where the Sarellano Paez family lived, was one of the hardest-hit areas. When the flooding outside their neighbor’s house finally slowed, Sebastian and Lisandro waded through knee-deep water to see what was left of their home. They found it tilted at an unnatural angle, with a giant tree smashed through the front porch. Inside, it looked even worse. 

“There was broken glass everywhere, furniture tossed,” Sebastian remembers. “Whatever we used to have in there was unrecognizable.”

By later that day, the worst of the storm had passed. But in its wake, Helene had left an unimaginable crisis. Neighborhoods were now huge brown lakes filled with upside-down cars and debris. Homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed, coated with thick layers of mud and sludge. Bridges had collapsed. Forests had been flattened. And water pipes had burst. Electricity and cell phone service were knocked out.

Thousands were trapped in their homes with no way to call for help. Rescue workers searched the area in boats and helicopters. They rescued people from rooftops and treetops. Some remote communities could be reached only by mule. 

Swannanoa, where the Sarellano Paez family lived, was one of the hardest-hit areas. When the flooding finally slowed, Sebastian and Lisandro waded through knee-deep water to see what was left of their home. They found it tilted at an unnatural angle. A giant tree had smashed through the front porch. Inside, it looked even worse. 

“There was broken glass everywhere, furniture tossed,” Sebastian remembers. “Whatever we used to have in there was unrecognizable."

The extent of the disaster stunned the region. Yet even as people reeled from the storm’s devastating impact, they were already mobilizing to help each other.

The air filled with the buzz of chainsaws as neighbors banded together to clear roads of fallen trees. Volunteers collected water, food, clothing, and other emergency supplies, turning parking lots into makeshift relief centers. Residents gathered in each other’s homes to shovel out muck and salvage anything they could.

Evelyn and Sebastian found that assisting others kept their minds off their own losses. While staying at her grandparents’ house, Evelyn helped her grandmother hand out home-cooked meals to neighbors. Sebastian and his friends began volunteering, clearing debris and distributing food and water. 

“I knew other people were going through the same things I was, and they needed somebody to be there for them,” Sebastian says. “That’s who I wanted to be.”

The extent of the disaster stunned the region. Even so, people mobilized to help each other.

Neighbors worked together to clear roads of fallen trees. Volunteers collected water, food, clothing, and other emergency supplies. They turned parking lots into makeshift relief centers. People helped each other shovel muck out of their homes and salvage anything they could.

Evelyn and Sebastian found that helping others kept their minds off their own losses. They were staying at their grandparents’ house. Evelyn helped her grandmother hand out home-cooked meals to neighbors. Sebastian and his friends distributed food and water and helped people clear debris. 

“I knew other people were going through the same things I was, and they needed somebody to be there for them,” Sebastian says. “That’s who I wanted to be.”

In its wake, Helene left a path of destruction more than 500 miles long, running through five states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The amount of rain that fell in just five days could have filled 60 million Olympic-size swimming pools. Tragically, more than 250 people were killed, nearly a third of them from flooding in North Carolina. Helene was the deadliest storm to strike the mainland U.S. in nearly 20 years.

Even a year later, as one of the places most impacted by the storm, the Asheville area still has a long recovery ahead. Experts say it may take a decade to fully rebuild. Still, there has been progress. At the time this story was published, major roads and water systems had been restored across most of the region. Many shops, hotels, restaurants, and galleries have reopened. Conversations are underway about how to make the area more resilient against future superstorms—for example, by creating more green space around the French Broad and Swannanoa riverbanks to absorb floodwaters.

Evelyn and her family were able to rebuild their home, thanks to help from an online fundraiser and volunteers from charity organizations. Now in 11th grade, Evelyn is starting a new season of cross-country. She credits practicing and racing with helping her find some normalcy again after the storm: “I felt more like myself,” she recalls. “When I went back into running and I put on my uniform, I felt like, ‘this is me.’”

This year, she’s aiming to hit new personal records. Living through Helene, she says, has helped her realize that she can achieve more than she thought possible. Most of all, the experience has helped her appreciate each new day. “I feel a lot more grateful for what I have and that I shouldn’t take anything for granted,” Evelyn says.

Helene left a path of destruction more than 500 miles long, running through five states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The amount of rain that fell in just five days could have filled 60 million Olympic-size swimming pools. Tragically, more than 250 people were killed, nearly a third of them from flooding in North Carolina. Helene was the deadliest storm to strike the mainland U.S. in nearly 20 years.

Even a year later, the Asheville area still has a long recovery ahead. It was one of the hardest hit by the storm. Experts say it may take a decade to fully rebuild. Still, there has been progress. At the time this story was published, major roads and water systems had been restored across most of the region. Many shops, hotels, restaurants, and galleries have reopened. People are talking about ways to protect the area against future superstorms. One idea is to create more green space around the riverbanks to absorb floodwaters.

Evelyn and her family rebuilt their home. They got help from an online fundraiser and volunteers. Now in 11th grade, Evelyn is starting a new season of cross-country. She credits practicing and racing with helping her find some normalcy again after the storm. “I felt more like myself,” she recalls. “When I went back into running and I put on my uniform, I felt like, ‘This is me.’”

This year, she’s aiming to hit new personal records. Living through Helene, she says, has helped her realize that she can achieve more than she thought possible. Most of all, she now appreciates each new day. “I feel a lot more grateful for what I have and that I shouldn’t take anything for granted,” Evelyn says.