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Debris from inside the Walmart litters the parking on Friday after Hurricane Helene mudslides and flood waters washed in and washed out of the box store downstream from downtown Boone and Appalachian State University. Austin Law photo

A police officer, right, surveys the damage at the Boone Walmart right after flooding waters peaked Friday in Boone. Austin Law photo

Tanner Bouker of Kill Devil Hills visits with his family’s St. Bernard Lucy. The former First Flight soccer player was super glad to be back from Boone, where he attends Appalachian State University. Daryl Law photo

Tanner Bouker made it home safe. Daryl Law photo

Mud cakes the parking lot at a Boone shopping center. Adrian Simpson photo

Damage could be seen throughout Boone following Helene. Adrian Simpson photo

Damage could be seen throughout Boone following Helene. Adrian Simpson photo

Damage could be seen throughout Boone following Helene. Adrian Simpson photo

Damage could be seen throughout Boone following Helene. Adrian Simpson photo

Damage could be seen throughout Boone following Helene. Adrian Simpson photo

Damage could be seen throughout Boone following Helene. Adrian Simpson photo

Damage could be seen throughout Boone following Helene. Adrian Simpson photo

Mud cakes the parking lot at a Boone shopping center. Adrian Simpson photo

Tom and Nicole Bouker were all set to visit their son Tanner at Appalachian State University for the Family Fall Weekend and a football game versus Liberty in Boone last weekend, Sept. 27-29.

Instead, heavy rains and winds from Hurricane Helene came Thursday into Friday resulting in catastrophic flooding and destruction in Boone, Asheville and additional western
North Carolina mountain towns. Many lives were lost and properties damaged in this and other states in the path of Helene.

Eye witnesses said that the tiny Boone Creek, which runs along the edge of downtown and the center of campus, grew to a raging, muddy river flooding parking lots, apartments, houses, downtown businesses and campus buildings. Mudslides were also reported.

The Boukers, of Kill Devil Hills, naturally cancelled their trip and Tanner made it back home to Kill Devil Hills safe and sound on Sunday. On Monday afternoon, Tom was quick to point out the irony of it all.

Outer Banks residents always expect fall hurricanes and tropical storms to impact this area, he said. But instead, it hits in the mountains.

Tanner agreed.

“It doesn’t even feel real,” he said. “A hurricane there, not here?”

His experience was echoed by other students – no communications, running water, electricity or hot food. Tom has serious doubts the semester will resume in person and speculates classes will be offered virtually instead.

Tanner, who left his vehicle in Boone and rode home with friends, hopes to get back to school as soon as he can so he can graduate as planned this spring.

He and his roommates at The Cottages had a bumpy ride during the storm but are happy to be safe. Tanner, age 21, said the university sent emails Thursday warning of potential flash flooding and high winds. On Friday, they had no power, water and limited internet.

“We drove out right before the storm looking for food,” he said. “There was flooding, and the cops had the road shut down.

“On the way back, there was a tree across the road, so we did the off road thing,” he said about the entrance leading to his apartment. “It was blocking us – it had slid down the hill.”

Once back inside, still no power, so they made sandwiches and waited.

His friend Max Stabley wasn’t as lucky, Tanner said. His apartment complex flooded and he realized how vulnerable he was at the time.

“‘I’ve got nowhere to go,’” Tanner said Stabley said. Once he headed over to Tanner’s place, he even had to wait there because the same tree blocked his access. He was unable to go off road around it.

“He had to wait to come to safety but finally the tree was out of the way,” Tanner said. “He grabbed as much as he could, but his living room was flooded.”

Tanner’s mom, Nicole, chimed in.

“Nothing! Nothing but what you have on your back … we’re so lucky,” she said.

With no power on the third day, Sunday, Tanner and his friends were left asking, “What are we gonna do?”

Fortunately, another friend’s family helped them.

“They cooked us food on a portable grill at their Airbnb,” he said. “Tailgate food.”

Nicole was thankful. “They brought food and all kinds of stuff!”

Once back home on, Tanner felt much better.

“Relief, we have power and all that,” he said.

Another person who considers herself lucky in surviving the flooding is Briana Lee, age 19, of Manteo. The former Redskins cheerleader was all set to cheer on her Mountaineers before Helene came knocking.

Her experience was mild compared to others, she noted. She found herself high and dry in the Thunder Hill Hall campus housing located near the football stadium, but decided to head back east on Saturday.

“We didn’t experience any flooding,” she said Sunday. “We fared pretty well.”

For Briana, the worst part was the power outage most of the day Friday. At the same time, she was receiving alerts from school officials and text messages from her friends.

On the other side of campus, students were forced to stay in their dorms because of the flooding. A dangerous sinkhole had opened up in the Legends parking lot next to the Daniel Boone Inn, too, Briana reported.

Between the power outages and boil water advisory, she decided it was time to go.

“Showering and brushing teeth was hard to do in the dorms with emergency power,” Briana said. “And them cutting off the water the rest of the night.

“The boil water advisory, that’s why I decided to come home,” she said. “We kinda got the best of it, some friends had pretty bad flooding of their apartments and houses.”

Her cousin Adrian Simpson, age 21, of Manteo, witnessed the storm from his off-campus apartment high up on Queen Street behind the Watauga County Courthouse, he said.

He slept on and off Thursday but remembers a lot of wind and rain. By Friday, with no power or internet, it felt like “the Dark Ages.” Adrian eventually got bored and struck out on foot.

“People were on campus, out and about around Sanford Mall,” he said. “King Street was still flooded – still had water you could wade through.”

By Saturday morning, he knew how bad it was outside. At times, he works in concessions at the football games, but not this Saturday.

“With the internet out, no running water and a disaster relief post on campus, I realized how truly bad it was … I saw people who lost everything, students and townsfolk.

“On campus they lost personal items,” Adrian added, “others lost their cars.”

“With no flood insurance, some lost everything except the clothes on their backs,” he said.

The loss of life worries him most.

“We’re hearing stories … a guy went out in his boat to help people,” Adrian said. “He capsized and has not been seen yet. That’s the thing, so many people are missing.”

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