By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-30 18:35:48 | Updated at 2024-10-01 09:24:20
15 hours ago
Vacationers were left with no way out of their luxe North Carolina Airbnb after Hurricane Helene blocked and destroyed all exits.
Keren, from Dallas, Texas documented her and her husband's eerie stay after taking a road trip to the mountains of North Carolina to see if they wanted to move there.
On Sunday she posted a frightening video of the horrid conditions they experienced in Hendersonville after the brutal storm consumed most of the southeastern U.S. over the weekend.
The devastation stretched along a string of east coast states as the storm killed at least 93 people in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia with officials fearing even more bodies will be discovered.
In her video, Keren showed severe impact from the storm as downed trees, destroyed roads and a sinkhole made it nearly impossible for them to get back home.
Keren, from Dallas, Texas documented her and her husband's eerie stay after taking a road trip to a mountain area in North Carolina to see if they wanted to move there
The couple quickly realized they were trapped in their rental home after every way out was destroyed by the intense storm
Her initial video showed a dark and stormy setting outside of their rental home with the caption: 'Trying to leave out NC airbnb vacation and realizing we can't...'
Fast wind whipped across the screen as she revealed their first exit from the home was completely gone.
A nearby road was seen cracked right down the middle as branches and fencing sank to the bottom of the hole, making it impossible to drive on.
Keren then revealed their second exit option - another road sinking into the ground as water rushed down the side.
The content creator then moved on to a view from inside a car as they drove through a wooded area plagued with downed trees.
The last clip showed a large sinkhole in the ground being filled with water, as she said: 'almost lost our tires to this sinkhole.'
On Monday, she posted an update sharing that she and her husband finally made it back home, and were told by locals that hurricanes are normal in the area and there is 'nothing to worry about.'
In her video, Keren showed severe impact from the storm as downed trees, destroyed roads and a sinkhole (pictured) made it nearly impossible for them to get back home
'We're back in Dallas after experiencing Hurricane Helene. We got to North Carolina last Sunday on a road trip to figure out if we wanna move out there.
'We're staying at a cute Airbnb in the mountains, but unfortunately it was raining pretty much the whole time that we were there,' Keren said, adding that their phones were alerting them of flash flood warnings.
'We were asking people about the situation and no one - people were pretty much like "this happens every July, pay attention, but nothing to worry about".'
She added that neither of them knew that hurricanes 'could hit mountains like that.'
Keren then revealed that they were left 'completely in the dark' for 42 hours before Helen made landfall in the area.
'So we were completely in the dark for any weather updates beyond that point,' she added.
'We couldn't get our money back, we were just like "Ok, let's just ride it out and see what happens and then get on the road as soon as this passes," ' she recalled.
They quickly regretted waiting for the hurricane to die down because they were soon faced with 'terrifying pitch black' scenes and 'huge trees swinging back and forth.'
The second exit the couple tried to take was also destroyed
'And you're just like, "Ok, well, I hope I don't die.",' she said.
After the disastrous storm passed the husband and wife tried to leave before realizing they were 'basically stuck there.'
They decided to go to a neighbor to figure out what the next step was, but they informed the stranded couple that almost every road was blocked.
Keren said that the neighbor mentioned having to be 'chainsawed' out of a tiny path on a private road to break free.
'At this point we had no food and water, again, dumb, thought we were gonna leave a lot earlier than that,' she explained.
The neighbor thankfully offered them food and water while they waited for the all clear.
'He was very determined to get us out of there,' Keren said, adding that the next day the helpful man packed all of their things and their dog in his truck and 'found a dangerous' way for them to escape.
'But we made it out alive,' she said.
Homes have been torn from foundations, thrown upside-down or split in half in Swannanoa, North Carolina
'As we were leaving this morning, seeing the damage of the town and seeing everything that happened to this beautiful town, was truly, truly heartbreaking,' she said.
Before they escaped, she said that she and her husband were convinced they were hit the worst, but after seeing all of the destruction, her perspective quickly changed.
'We feel so incredibly bad for the people who lived there. We were so lucky that we were just vacationing there, but these are people's homes, and lives and businesses that were affected.
'Our hearts go out to the people of Hendersonville and beyond,' she said.
When asked if she would still consider moving there, Keren said that although the town is 'beautiful,' she's not sure she could withstand the mountains.
She also revealed that she and her husband sent their hero neighbor a gift once they made it home to thank him for all of his help.
A slew of U-Haul trucks and debris are seen thrown all over a muddy ground in Asheville, North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
Another North Carolina mountain town was left 'entirely erased' after Helene charged through it.
Swannanoa was left in ruins as the death toll in Buncombe County alone climbs to a staggering 30, survivors are left grappling with scenes of utter devastation and a desperate lack of basic necessities.
After rocking the shore in Florida, a weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers while pushing dams to be close to bursting.
Damage estimates ranged from $15 billion to more than $100 billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend.
The total amount of property damage and lost economic output will become clearer as officials assess the destruction.
