FAIRVIEW – It took a day for the flooding to subside enough for Bryan Craig to make his way up to Craigtown, northwest of Fairview , to see the damage to the neighborhood where he grew up.
Days of rain caused landslides, which rolled into Craigtown, wiping out land , trees and houses. Of the areas ravaged by Tropical Storm Helene Sept. 27, few were hit harder. As soon as Craig saw the street where he spent his childhood, he knew how bad the devastation was.
Eleven members of the Craig family died, including his parents, Jimmy and Lois Souther, making up a quarter of the 43 verified deaths in Buncombe County and over a tenth of the 102 victims confirmed statewide. Bryan said two more people in Craigtown, not members of the Craig family also died, bringing the total in the area alone to 13.
Craigtown, once a beautiful and closeknit community, was gone.
Though Craigtown isn’t an official name, if you’ve lived in Fairview long enough, you know about it.
The town sits on the outskirts of Farview, up in the mountains, and borders on the Owen school district. Bryan Craig, 53, who lives in Fletcher, isn’t sure how many Craigs still lived there, and even less sure who will move back. The land has been in the Craig family for generations, dating back to the early 1900s. The family, including some who have joined through marriage, has since stayed around, and the name stuck.