SWANNANOA, N.C. — "It was by miracle that we made it," said Stephanie Zara on Wednesday, speaking to WCNC Charlotte.
The Zara family said Helene had waters rushing in quickly on their home in Swannanoa, just 21 miles outside of Asheville.
"When I was finally connected to police and told them water is coming into our house, they told us to get to higher ground because they are overwhelmed with calls," said Stephanie Zara.
With no help coming, the family thought fast and moved quickly to the attic, grabbing their two kids along the way: baby Jack and seven-year-old Luca.
"Our adrenaline is pumping, we had to save our own life," said Stephanie Zara.
The Zaras said survival skills got them to safety, including Luca, who recently learned to swim.
"It was hard to get on the roof, and watching the water rise in our house was really hard to see," said the young boy.
The family eventually climbed out of the attic and made it to the roof.
"The baby at that point had a saturated diaper so he was basically half-naked with us and everybody was shivering," said John Zara, who also noted their call for help was also echoed by surrounding neighbors. "There were probably six or seven families on the roof within eyesight, and there were folks trapped in their attics."
After hours of waiting, neighbors higher up eventually heard the shrieks of fear and brought kayaks to get families like the Zaras to safety.
"I was in complete shock that this was our situation, but then I realized the devastation of it all because there was no way we could have gotten out," said Stephanie Zara.
The family said they did not have flood insurance, and it hurts knowing what's left of their home and the Swannanoa community.
"Our town is gone," said Stephanie Zara.
But as they work to figure out the next steps, Stephanie Zara said she's thankful they’re able to do it together as a family.
"There are lives lost and there are still missing people so all we can do is be grateful," she said.
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Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.