It will be sometime before the full extent of the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton can be acurately calculated.
Nonetheless, tales of destruction and loss of life are trickling in from the areas affected by both storms, painting a tragic picture indeed. Earlier this week, we reported on Khyzier and Khazmir Williams, the twin babies believed to be the youngest Hurricane Helene victims at just five weeks old, as well as telling the sad story regarding the South Carolina couple found hugging each other in death.
We’ve more sorrowful news today, with it being reported that a family of four died in North Carolina as they attempted to evacuate their Green Mountain home and escape storm Helene.
Family members of Alison Wisely, her fiancé Knox Petrucci, and her two children, Felix, 9, and Lucas, 7, say that the quartet tried to leave their home at around noon last Friday as Helene approached.
Yet as they navigated the floodwaters, their car soon began to float. Abandoning their efforts to evacuate, the family are said to have gotten out their vehicle and made an attempt to return to their home. Tragically they were then swept away into the Toe River.
A firsthand witness to the event had reportedly tried to warn Alison and Knox against approaching the water, and later tried to assist in a rescue effort to save them.
Alison’s body was recovered on October 4, 2024, in Tennessee. Felix and Lucas’s bodies were found on the following day. On October 7, Knox’s body was also recovered.
Relatives in contact with the family said they had made preparations for Hurricane Helene and had anticipated some minor flooding in their basement. They purchased pallets and sandbags but were of the belief that the mountains surrounding their home would shield them from the worst of it.
As per reports, the actual flooding in the area was devastating. The Toe River rose by 22 feet and water levels reached just a few inches below the ceiling of Alison and Knox’s single-story home.
“Knox was always there for friends who were like family and inspired others in the way he moved through life with authenticity and boundless love and acceptance,” Knox’s sister, Briana Petrucci Yarbrough, said. “I would like people to remember my brother Knox as a person who brought together community and was always seeking meaningful connections with others.”
She continued: “Brilliant and wise Alison, was a most loving mother to the boys she shared and co-parented with Lance Wisely, their devoted dad.”
The Carolina Memorial Sanctuary has committed to covering funeral costs for the family, though a GoFundMe campaign has been established in order to raise funds to honor the lives of Alison, Knox, Felix, and Lucas and support those impacted by the storm.
Making things all the more heartbreaking, Alison and Knox are said to have been planning to wed one another on November 9.
According to the latest reports, more than 230 people have been found dead in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as officials in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee areas continue to recover bodies almost two weeks after the storm hit.
Rest in peace to this poor family, and to all those who have lost their lives in the recent storms.
READ MORE
- South Carolina couple found hugging each other after tragic death
- Twin babies, who died alongside their mom, believed to be youngest Hurricane Helene victims
