Kevin Massie watched as quickly moving floodwaters approached his home foot by foot. The water rose as the Pigeon River inched its way into the streets of Clyde, North Carolina.
“In this area, it’s common to have several floods a year,” said Massie.
In the 60 years Massie lived in Clyde Hurricane Helene brought destruction in a way he had never seen.
From the beginning, the storm felt different for Massie. As some of the first rain drops fell on Sept. 26 he felt fear, cautioning friends in the area to prepare for something extreme.
Having dealt with flooding before, Massie kept an eye on the Pigeon River that sits across the road from their property. The waters rose and then paused for a bit before heavy rainfall picked up and devastated his home and community.
“I was trying to get stuff up out of the basement to get it on up into the house where it would be dry. And the water just kept coming and we were like okay, we need to move stuff a little higher and the water kept coming and kept coming and it just wasn’t slowing down,” Massie said.
In the process of saving his and his wife’s belongings from the floodwaters, the foundation of the home gave way, letting out a low groan. In that moment, the waters rushed into the home with such force that Massie felt the displaced air hit his face.
“The water went from seven inches deep in the basement to seven foot deep in less than five seconds,” Massie said.
Jerry and Traci Hoglen have been pastors at Sweet Fellowship Church in Clyde for nearly two decades. Situated five lanes and a railroad track away from the Pigeon River, the church building had been untouched by floodwaters since 1949.
The Hoglens live about 3000 feet above sea level, higher than their church. As the storm continued Sept. 27, Mrs. Hoglen was shocked to see water flowing with force down the mountain, through her yard.
“My fear at the time was if I had that much water actually running like waterfalls down the mountain, past my house, I was in fear for the people below me, in the valley, I started thinking back of what happened to me in 04 and sure enough you see what happened. I mean, it was crazy,” said Mrs. Hoglen.
It has been 20 years since Hurricanes Frances and Ivan wrecked Western North Carolina, bringing flooding that Mrs. Hoglen remembers well.
“I did have a house in Canton in 2004 when it flooded and my house got flooded twice and the job that I had in the town of Canton got flooded so I lost my job and I ended up, you know, my home was upside down basically. This was not my first time experiencing a flood,” said Mrs. Hoglen.
Clyde flooded again in 2021 during Tropical Storm Fred, killing six people in Haywood County.
Despite experiencing these devastating floods, the Hoglens could never have imagined their church would flood like it did.
Mrs. Hoglen’s son arrived at her house Sept. 28, after the storm had passed through. In his hands he held a bible from the church’s altar.
“I asked him, ‘why do you have the bible in your hand.’ He said, ‘mama the church is flooded.’ And I said, ‘what are you talking about? There’s no way that church can be flooded,’” Mrs. Hoglen said.
In Haywood County, the road to recovery from Helene is a long one. It is one that cannot be walked alone. On Oct. 2, Mrs. Hoglen took to Facebook pleading for help recovering their church basement.
“I am heartbroken. We need the community,” Mrs. Hoglen said in a Facebook live video. “We can’t do this just the four of us, it’s impossible.”
Mrs. Hoglen credits student volunteers from WCU as an answer to her pleas.
“Anybody that asks me about how the church is, I’m like let me tell you about Western Carolina students. They were a godsend,” Mrs. Hoglen said.
The Massies and the Hoglens, like many in their community, now look ahead to the next steps they need to take in restoring their properties. With few in their area having flood insurance, all eyes are on FEMA for financial assistance.
To start the FEMA application process, those affected can call the toll-free application number 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or register online at http://www.fema.gov.
A drive through the streets of Clyde offers heartbreaking views of loss and destruction.
“All you have to do is look a few houses around and you find somebody just as bad or worse than you,” Massie said.
A theme of resilience and community echoes through each story, each pile of debris. But the charm of Clyde never existed in the brick and mortar, it existed in the people.
“It’s been neighbor helping neighbor, local helping local,” Mr. Massie said.
There is a long way to go but spirits in Clyde are strong, despite being battered.
