BOILING SPRING LAKES, N.C. — Torrents of rain and flood waters left devastating impacts on countless coastal communities and lives this past week. After any storm, clean up always begins, but for Doug Sherwood and his wife Debbie, there isn’t much left to clean up after lightning struck their home, burning it to the ground.
“I think if you haven't seen it, you don't quite understand the devastation, and the magnitude of, of the loss,” Debbie Sherwood said while standing in the charred remains of what used to be her home.
She and her husband have begun to sift through the ashes, a tragic treasure hunt as they attempt to process the unimaginable.
“Not necessarily because we feel like we're going to find something, but in an unexplainable way, it helps us,” Sherwood said, explaining the days of combing through charred photographs, broken dishes and remnants of their home. “For months, probably even years, it's going to be something that we remembered that was in the house that we don't have anymore.”
Doug Sherwood remembers seeing lightning, hearing the immediate crack of thunder and then running outside. He said smoke was already billowing from their garage.
“I just came in and said, ‘House is on fire. We need to get out,’” Sherwood recalled. “Even, like last night, I woke up a couple times and I felt like I still smelled this.”
They stood by and watched as flames took over their home — as helpless as the firefighters trapped on the other side of washed-out roads and flooded streets. The firefighters eventually came running on foot, dragging hoses along with them, doing everything in their power to give the Sherwoods something to return to.
“In my mind, they were going to be here soon and we were going to just have some smoke damage,” Debbie Sherwood said thinking of the mere half mile to the nearest fire department.
But by the time emergency crews were able to arrive, there was nothing left of the Sherwood’s home of 23 years. Crews extinguished the last remaining flames and made sure the site was secure.
“They did everything that they could and we really appreciate the effort that they put forth,” Doug Sherwood said. “They just really went above and beyond that day and exemplified the true meaning of a public servant.”
In the face of everything the couples still sees light at the end of the tunnel; their faith is preserved even in the ashes of their home.
“Even in the midst of all of this, we are still so blessed,” Debbie Sherwood said. “We have each other. We have family. We have friends. We have God. God being the most important.”
They said their community has provided an incredible outpouring of support, and they plan to build a new home on their property as soon as they are able. Bald Head Coffee and Tea House is currently collecting donations for the couple.
“It's a stark, harsh reminder that really things of this world are temporary,” Debbie Sherwood said. “Cling to the things that that will matter because stuff doesn't matter.”
