ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As cell reception gets better over in the western part of the state, we are hearing more survival stories, and some close calls.
WFMY News 2's Amber Lake spoke to an Asheville homeowner who hiked up a hill with his wife to get to a safe place.
His home though, is ruined.
First and foremost, Jack Hafeli and his wife are safe.
Their son came up front Atlanta and brought them back, which is where they've been since the Sunday after Helene.
The home though has mold on chairs, mud on the floors.
Hafeli said rain started in Asheville days before Helene ripped through.
Because of that, he said the water had no where to go except nearby streams and rivers.
Hafeli and his wife live near the Swannanoa river, about 200 yards away in a home nearly 40 feet above the river.
But when Helene hit the waters started rising rapidly.
Hafeli and his wife started packing essentials to leave but just 30 minutes later it was too late.
The water had made its way to their road, so the couple called their neighbor who lives a little higher up.
Hafeli said, "we had to climb a muddy hill to get up to their home, and managed to get up there. And then from that point on, watched the water climb and climb and climb."
The couple plans to come back to their home this weekend to assess the damage, and bring some much needed supplies to the area.
As far as mitigation and restoration, Hafeli said it all depends on the extent of damage.
His HVAC unit is ruined, one contractor said all the dry wall will have to be replaced. All of this, estimating a cost of thousands and thousands of dollars.