A 75-year-old man from North Carolina carried away by Hurricane Helene flooding after he clung to a tree for hours, his family and neighbors hearing him cry out for help but not being able to get to him.
The New York Times reports that on Friday, September 27, Bruce Tipton was at home in Marshall when water poured beneath him from the French Broad River.
According to cousin Annie Meadows, “he’s standing in the front door one minute, and the trailer’s gone the next minute.”
Family, friends, and neighbors stood by and watched for about seven hours while Tipton took hold of a nearby tree. Even though many people were unable to see him, they could hear his cries for help.
According to The Times, Tipton, a Navy veteran, was raised in the little community of around 800 people and was acquainted with the climate there. According to neighbor Jason Blankenship, Tipton refused to leave despite the firefighters’ advice.
However, Helene was “nothing that any of us have ever seen before,” according to Assistant Chief Mitch Hampton of the Walnut Volunteer Fire Department.
AccorThe cable Meadows’ fiancé had tied around his waist to help him over the waters was too short to reach the tree, according to The Times, when he attempted to reach Tipton. When the rescuers arrived, they told the newspaper that it was dangerous to enter the water and that they would return at dawn.
But Tipton washed away when she tumbled into the ocean shortly before 11 p.m. local time.
Even though trying to save Tipton would have put the squad in danger, Hampton called it terrible that he was unable to help. He told the publication, “That was the worst one.” “We were unable to reach him.”
As of Tuesday, October 1, the hurricane had killed at least 152 people in six states, according to the Associated Press. North Carolina accounted for over half of the fatalities.
On Tuesday, October 1, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told PEOPLE that the state is still engaged in a “active rescue mission,” with certain areas being “isolated due to road damage.”
Criswell issued a warning, stating that “there are still a lot of risks out there” in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene, including high river levels, fallen trees and electrical lines, and dangerous debris.
“People simply must be informed,” the representative clarified. They ought to be aware of their environment. Because storm aftereffects can be just as fatal as storm threats, they should exercise caution and watch out for one another.
