A Family’s Story of Survival: Hurricane Helene

On the morning of September 27, 2024, Vanessa, Casey, and their three daughters awoke as rain poured down and the river next to their house began to rise. The family of five quickly realized that they had to get out of their house. They saw their car port floating down the river, along with all of Casey's carpentry tools. Power lines started cracking around them, trees began falling, and their car was stuck behind one of them. They were blocked in. The water continued to rise, and eventually, the Bowens watched it rip their home off its foundation and float it down the river.

“Casey and I were sitting there holding hands and I looked at him and said, ‘Our babies are homeless.’ And he looked at me and said, ‘The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’”—Vanessa Bowens

The Bowens witnessed all this loss right before their eyes. Chaos surrounded them, yet, they knew that God was in control. Once they got their family out of the house safely, Vanessa began to hope and pray that her parents, who lived right beside them, made it out as well. God covered her with His presence.

“From the beginning, there has been a peace. When they say that God can give peace that surpasses all understanding, that's really true. Because when you're sitting with your family of five and you have nothing but the clothes on your back, and you have no idea what you're going to do, but yet, you have peace, there's no way that you can't look at it and say, ‘That's God.’”—Vanessa Bowens

Vanessa prayed that God would stop the rain and stop the water from rising. Miraculously, the water began to back off little by little. It took more than six hours for it to recede enough for Vanessa, Casey, and their three daughters to get to higher ground and find Vanessa’s parents, but they were grateful. God gave Vanessa a verse to cling to during that horrific time.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”—Psalm 46:10

For weeks after the storm, the Bowens lived in an unfinished room above a store. The conditions were not ideal, but they were thankful to have a roof over their head. The Bowens cooked things like rice and ramen using their camp stove and the only pot that they owned. They used a bucket as a toilet and a hose for their shower. The community in Burnsville banded together and provided the family with pillows, blankets, and other supplies to make the space more comfortable.

In this time of uncertainty, as they waited and wondered where they were going to live, a blessing came. A community member wanted to allow the Bowens to live in her home until they were able to rebuild.

“And there again, you just sit back and you go, that was God showing up, using his people at just the right time, out of nowhere. And we felt very, very blessed.”—Vanessa Bowens

After getting settled in their temporary housing, Vanessa got a call from Samaritan's Purse. Jeff Graham with North American Ministries listened to Vanessa tell their story. The very next day, other staff, including the Vice President Luther Harrison, came out to meet the Bowens at their property. Luther told the family that Samaritan’s Purse would build both them and Vanessa’s parents’ brand-new homes.

Please pray for the Bowens as they continue to recover from the storm. Pray also for the other rebuild projects taking place across western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit samaritanspurse.org.