Woman Discovers Mother-in-Law Is Alive amid Helene Devastation Through Security Camera: 'Fortunate and Lucky' (Exclusive)
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"I'm fortunate and lucky, [the] majority are still not and have lost loved ones," Vignette Truett tells PEOPLE
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty
Destroyed cars lay in water at the Biltmore Village across from the Biltmore Estate in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 in Asheville, North CarolinaA North Carolina woman connected with her mother-in-law amid Hurricane Helene thanks to a security camera.
In an interview with USA Today, Vignette Truett, 24, said she and her husband Issac, 28, tried to reach his side of the family in Burnsville for four days without success.
Things changed when she noticed from her and her husband's hotel room in nearby Boone that a security camera had detected movement in their bedroom.
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Stock image of a security camera on a home or businessThe camera showed Truett's mother-in-law, whose name Truett did not share, playing with their pets. Soon after, the family spoke to her through the device's speaker.
Related: Hurricane Helene's Death Toll Climbs to at Least 200. Here's How to Help Relief Efforts
"When we finally saw her and heard her voice, we started crying," Truett told the outlet.
Hurricane Helene — and the worry of not knowing if her loved ones are okay — happened three weeks after her wedding, Truett told PEOPLE on Thursday, Oct. 3.
"I was very lucky to have married into such an amazing family and group of friends that my future holds many more memories to carry alongside them," she says, noting that she and her husband "are actually leaving tomorrow either in the morning or after to travel safely back home."
Courtesy Vignette Truett
Vignette Truett and family"Lord knows I'm missing my family but also fortunately able-bodied to be with my side of my family," she says, adding that she's been able to communicate with all her loved ones.
"In fact, my mother-in-law actually sent us on a grocery run that we felt somewhat normal for once to just pick up stuff in [the] grocery store," she adds.
Courtesy Vignette Truett
Vignette Truett and familyTruett tells PEOPLE that she and her husband have also gathered essential supplies for her family after Hurricane Helene.
"I'm fortunate and lucky. [A] majority are still not and have lost loved ones and my family is grieving side by side with them in this time," she says.
According to CBS News, the death toll across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia has risen to at least 200 as of Thursday, Oct. 3.
Mario Tama/Getty
An aerial view of flood damage along the French Broad River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 2, 2024 in Asheville, North CarolinaOn Wednesday, Oct. 2, President Joe Biden authorized an increase in federal funding to provide additional disaster assistance in North Carolina.
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"Under the President's order today, the Federal funds for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance has been increased to 100 percent of the total eligible costs for 180 days from the start of the incident period," a press release states.
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