Stranded Bachelorette Party Attendees Turned to Prayer After Hurricane Helene Left Them Without Cell Service or Power for Days
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10/01/2024 10:41 PM
"I cannot believe I am standing here today," bridesmaid Gina Costa said
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty
Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville, N.C. on October 1, 2024- Eleven women headed to Asheville, N.C., on Sept. 26 for a bachelorette party but were met with a nightmare experience when Hurricane Helene hit the city
- After the first night, they woke up to no power, cell service or running water
- They were then stranded for three days and had to hike from the remote cabin to populated areas before returning safely home to Massachusetts
On the weekend of Sept. 28, bride Kayla Donnelly was joined by 10 friends for her bachelorette party in Asheville, N.C. But once the women touched down, so did Hurricane Helene, and their carefree weekend turned into a life-threatening experience, according to CBS News affiliate WBZ-TV.
The Massachusetts native and her bridesmaids and friends planned to head south to a remote mountainside cabin in Asheville for the festivities.
Everyone arrived at the cabin on Thursday, Sept. 26, but the next day, everything changed when they woke up to no power and a roof struck by a tree, causing the ceiling to fall and leak rain inside.
"I have a pit in my stomach thinking about it because, like, you get to the top of the driveway, and you just looked right and left, and it was just like chaos," bridesmaid Gina Costa told WBZ-TV. "It was so bad. I was like, 'We're never getting out of here.' "
Related: How to Help with Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts
Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty
Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville, N.C. on September 30, 2024.The situation soon intensified as the women lost cell service with no way to communicate with anyone outside of their immediate group.
"That was the worst part, knowing that I'm such a communicative person, and I'm always reaching out to family, friends and my fiancé, and so when they stopped hearing from me, I knew they would know something's wrong," Donnelly told WBZ. Her family did create a group chat to seek any updates they could.
They soon had no running water and were slowly running out of food because the refrigerator also lost power. The group decided to leave the area and hike down the mountainous terrain.
After 20 minutes, they found nearby homes and met residents who offered hose water. However, two days later, they were growing more fearful as they were still trapped on the mountain.
"It got to a point where every girl was like secluding themselves and crying on their own because it was crazy," Costa said, adding that one of the women was praying out loud.
Around 6 p.m. on Sept. 28, they heard a man at the top of the mountain asking if anyone was down there. One of the women "started flipping out screaming," and then, to get his attention, she "ran to the top of the hill barefoot," Costa told WBZ-TV.
The man was searching for stranded people and helped the girls plan to evacuate the mountain. He assured them that if they could hike to the bottom of the mountain, he would rescue them the next day, Sunday, Sept. 29.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty
Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville on October 1, 2024They hiked for three hours down Elk Mountain, although their hike wasn't without complications. One woman was hospitalized when they got home in Massachusetts for an infected bee sting, while several other women got poison ivy.
Once at the bottom, they were rescued by strangers and taken by a truck to a local Lowe's, where they met a school principal who bought them a meal. After that, they got transportation back to the Charlotte airport so they could fly home.
"The people were amazing," Costa said. "They were offering if you wanted to go shower at their house, rides, etc."
"I have never met nicer people than the people on that mountain and in the Asheville area in general," Donnelly added.
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Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty
Hurricane Helene aftermath in Asheville on September 28, 2024Related: Aftermath of Hurricane Helene Causes North Carolina Residents to Use Mule Trains to Deliver Supplies
"Nobody is really seeing what's going on up there and there's a lot of people who need help," Donnelly told WBZ. "A lot of people who have not been able to contact their families, a lot of people who can't make it down that mountain. That was a really, really rough journey down."
"Literally, when I say, I cannot believe I am standing here today. That is a feeling in my gut that I thought I was not going to make it," Costa added.
They saved the contact information of those who helped them and hope to return the favor to residents still trapped around Elk Mountain through a GoFundMe page.
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