A couple from Asheville, North Carolina, found safety in Milwaukee following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
"It was so much worse than we had thought it was going to be, quite honestly," Kara Catrelle told TMJ4 News.
Catrelle and her boyfriend, Eric Padgett, had stocked up on supplies before the storm.
When a tree crashed through their roof and water started pouring in, that was only the beginning of their troubles.
"We went outside. We could hear trees falling everywhere. Power lines were going down. It was total chaos," Catrelle recalled. "Before you know it, there’s clay and sludge coming through the water pipes, and they’re telling us we can’t drink the water. Then the water stopped working altogether."
"I couldn't believe it," said Padgett, who grew up in South Carolina.
Soon, they were without power, water, or communications.
"I was like, it's not safe to be here. We have to go," Catrelle said.
The couple made the difficult decision to leave with Catrelle's daughter and their dog and head to Wisconsin, where Catrelle grew up and has a house.
Watch: North Carolina couple travels to Milwaukee to escape Hurricane Helene:
"I had little feelings of panic because I was like, we can't get out, and then at the same time, I felt guilty," Catrelle explained.
Padgett managed to put a tarp on their roof before leaving.
It took more than five hours just to find a way out of town.
"We came to a lot of areas where the road was down in the river, or there used to be a road and now it’s a waterfall," Padgett stated.
"I was in tears as I was watching. You see houses going down the river. The beauty that you see turning into total destruction is traumatic," Catrelle said.
They made it to Milwaukee Sunday night.
The pair hopes to return home after power and water are restored, but it is unclear when that will happen.
"I feel sad for all the people who are still stuck there. We just got lucky, I think, to get out when we did," Padgett added.
The two hope sharing their story will encourage others to support their community.
"This kind of devastation forever changes a community. I'm hopeful that people will come together," Catrelle said.
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