BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — Following Helene, a western North Carolina man said mudslides devastated his community, resulting in the tragic loss of 11 family members.

What You Need To Know

  • Jesse Craig's family lived in the Garren Creek Community, which is 30 minutes away from Asheville

  • Craig said he lost 11 family members in mudslides in the Garren Creek Community

  • The deceased include his parents, aunt and uncle, cousins and distant cousins

  • The devastation of this community is also visible with piles of debris, washed out roads and mangled cars

They all lived in the Garren Creek Community, leading a number of locals to refer to this area as "Craigtown."

Jesse Craig grew up in this area. 

“We were always outside riding four wheelers, or go karts, or something. It was wonderful. It was quiet,” Jesse Craig said.  

The once quiet community with green pastures looks different in the aftermath of Helene. It is now covered in piles of debris, washed out roads and mangled cars. 

“We were so inundated with rain, the mountain just gave out,” Jesse Craig said. 

Almost three weeks after Helene, Jesse and his wife, Mekenzie, looked at what's left of the family land. 

He describes three waves of mudslides that came through, taking the lives of 11 of his family members. He said his parents, aunt and uncle, cousins and distant cousins were all victims of the deadly mudslides.

“When it was really fresh, there was a lot of emotion, a lot of confusion, sadness, anger,” Jesse said. “It’s like [a] bad dream. Every day you wake up thinking it's going to be over.”

 Jesse and Mekenzie live in Fletcher, which is 20 minutes away. When the storm came through, they said trees fell on their vehicles and house, and they had no cell phone service. 

Jesse recounts he went to the top of a hill in their neighborhood and received a call from his brother. 

“By the grace of God, [my brother] got a phone call through, the only one out here that I had had and the only one I would get for days,” Jesse Craig said. 

He called to tell Jesse about the passing of their parents. 

“My mind is searching and trying to find some logical answer. I'm like, 'What do you mean gone? They were at home. Where would they go? They shouldn't have gone anywhere.' And he said, 'No, they're gone,'” Jesse Craig said.

With the road conditions, it took him two hours to go to the Garren Creek Community. 

“Bridges are washed out, all the bridges are washed out. And mostly there are power lines, trees. Most of the road here was impassable was one lane,” Jesse Craig said. 

Once he was here, he heard other family members didn’t make it. He also heard a story about his two cousins who died trying to save someone else. 

“They paid with their lives trying to help somebody and that, nothing resonates with us more than that act of unselfishness,” Jesse Craig said. 

Monday, the Craigs were going to make funeral arrangements. 

“We are still a little bit numb to the situation,” Mekenzie Craig said. 

They are trying to take everything day by day. 

“We're trying to navigate through and just trying to stay positive, trying to lean on our family that we've got left, you know, the survivors,” Jesse Craig said. 

The Craig family is grateful for all the support they’ve received. 

Firefighters and police officers from agencies around the state and the country are lending a helping hand. Monday, crews were also on site working to restore power to this community. 

The Craigs want to keep the focus on this community because they say the rebuilding process will take years. 

They have a GoFundMe page for funerals and other expenses as they work to honor their loved ones and other community members lost and affected by the storm. 

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