RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — High school math teacher Maddie Allain is lucky her Swannanoa home is on higher ground.
After evacuating to Raleigh, Allain recalled the story of taking a neighbor’s kayak and being joined by her husband Robert and a neighbor to save not only adults, but two small children and a number of pets.
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“I was watching out my backyard window and the next thing I know I hear screams of help,” Allain said. “[The water] it’s up to their gutters. I saw a man climb out of his window to get onto the roof. It was something like out of an apocalyptic movie. It was just insane.
“I put in a kayak,” she said. “I couldn’t even find a paddle. I took a snow shovel and was trying to get to this other house. I was not thinking, I was not planning.”
Joined by her husband and neighbor, Allain said “We took a kayak and tied it to another one to get the small kids out. Eventually, they just started putting people in life vests. They were hanging on and taking them back to our backyard.”