Editor’s Note: On Sept. 27, Hurricane Helene swept through the Southeast, leaving a trail of destruction and death.
In South Carolina, 50 people were casualties of the powerful storm, including 22 in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson counties. Alvaro Gutierrez was among the victims of the Palmetto State’s deadliest storm since 1989. The Greenville News will continue to tell the stories of those who lost their lives to Helene through people who knew and loved them most.
Maria Obando remembers the last time she talked to her husband’s cousin, Alvaro Gutierrez.
It was the day after she had cooked meatloaf for dinner, and Gutierrez ate leftovers for lunch.
“Before he went to work, he came to tell me that the meatloaf was really good,” Obando said.
When she offered that he help himself to more, Gutierrez refused, wanting to leave enough for the rest of the family to eat. He then mentioned something that may interfere with his two-year work Visa in the U.S. There was a chance he may have to return to Nicaragua earlier than expected.