{"id":4580,"date":"2025-02-24T21:20:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T21:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/corporate\/?p=4580"},"modified":"2025-02-24T21:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T21:35:20","slug":"when-floodwaters-rise-the-impact-of-hurricane-helene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldvision.org\/corporate\/2025\/02\/24\/when-floodwaters-rise-the-impact-of-hurricane-helene\/","title":{"rendered":"When Floodwaters Rise: The Impact of Hurricane Helene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Hurricane Helene<\/a> drew near to their Swannanoa, North Carolina, home, Jim and Allie Bourdy prepared. Jim cleaned out the gutters. He installed a sump pump in their crawlspace. “We were expecting to lose power, and that was it. … we stocked up on puzzles. We got our favorite board games out on the table. We had flashlights, we had candles,” says Allie. “We were ready for a rainstorm, but not ready for surviving our life that morning.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swannanoa is located on the Swannanoa River, a small waterway that normally runs about 18 inches to 2 feet deep. On the morning of September 27, the river rose fast, climbing over its banks to cross a five-lane highway and reaching houses on the other side. Only 20 minutes after the water measured midway up their shins, it reached the roofline. The couple clung to the gutters and foam exercise equipment that doubled as flotation devices.<\/p>\n\n\n