Couple with Massachusetts ties stuck on North Carolina mountain days after Hurricane Helene hit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A couple with ties to Massachusetts is still stuck on a mountain in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene swept through there last week.
22 stranded on mountain
Caroline Doyle and her husband moved from Swampscott to Asheville, North Carolina as a pandemic escape. Now, thanks to the hurricane, they may have to escape their escape. They're part of a group of 22 people still stranded in their mountain neighborhood.
"There are hundreds of trees down here. The trees literally exploded," Doyle told WBZ-TV Tuesday.
She and her family live in Weaverville, but they went up to her parents' home to weather the storm. That place sits higher up on a mountain.
"We actually almost feel like we're better off in some ways up here than we are down below," said Doyle.
While they may be trapped now, the mountain retreat has a generator that powers the home as well as a water well. Her neighborhood in Weaverville is without both amenities and may be for a while.
"Right now, we are limiting it to two hours of power a day to recharge devices, heat anything that we need on the stove," said Doyle.
Some neighbors are low on necessary medications, while others are hoping their propane generators will last until the roads are clear enough to drive.
"A private helicopter pilot was in fact able to get up here. He was able to land nearby and hike in, and we are going to be establishing a landing zone actually at one of our neighbor's houses, so that way he can evacuate people, if needed, to Hickory, which is about an hour-and-a-half away and or drop in supplies," said Doyle.
Bachelorette party rescue
This past weekend, Caroline's husband and father went out to clear a path for them to get out. That's when they ran into a bachelorette party from Plymouth, Massachusetts. The girls were hiking down the mountain to safety. WBZ first shared their story Monday.
"They sort of notified the folks who were at the lower end, the more accessible part of the neighborhood, and one of those homes actually took in half of the group who hiked out a day later," said Doyle.
"We all have poison ivy on our legs, cuts and bruises all the way down," said Kayla Donnelly, the bride-to-be who made it out alive and spoke with WBZ.
These are just a few stories the Doyles are beginning to tell as cell service comes and goes.
"Hearing from the outside world and hearing from loved ones is doing so much for our mental health and wellbeing," said Doyle.
It's the fuel they need, even if the real fuel doesn't come fast enough.