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Hurricane Helene survivor thankful to be back in San Antonio

Woman and her family stuck in mountains for 13 days

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio native and Hurricane Helene Survivor is hoping her traumatic experience surviving the hurricane will inspire others to donate to any relief efforts, especially in the wake of Hurricane Milton.

Ciarah Garcia, her husband, and their two young daughters moved to a neighborhood near Asheville, North Carolina, almost two years ago for her husband’s job.

Living in the mountains at high elevation, they had no idea a hurricane would ever be at their doorstep.

“We lived in the mountains, so you think this can’t happen to you,” Garcia said. “So it was business as usual. We saw what was coming, but we were going about our day. That week, we only had rain Wednesday and Thursday, didn’t think much of it.”

She said Friday morning changed the rest of her life.

“The creek in front of our house swelled, trapping us and our neighbors,” Garcia said. “That water at 7:50 in the morning went from 5 inches to 8 feet in a matter of two hours. As we are trying to figure out what to do, we are trying to remain calm as parents for our kids. We put them on the counter. Water was rushing in from the vents, and before we knew it, water was at my waist as my husband was trying to flag down neighbors to come help us.”

As water poured into the house, Garcia and her daughters began to pour their hearts out to God.

“My daughters were on the counter and my oldest (8 years) was holding our dog,” Garcia said. “I told her to start praying. She was like, ‘Mom, am I going to die?’ You never want to hear that as a parent. I just told her to start talking to God and start praying, and thank God the water started to recede.”

The family was unable to make it to their cars, which were already flooded. Garcia said she went into survival mode.

“I can’t explain it,” she said. “The feeling of just wanting to stay alive and doing anything to stay alive kicks in and is just instinctual to wanting to do anything for your family.”

Unfortunately, the family and their neighbors were trapped by downed trees and power lines and only could wait for help they didn’t even know would come.

They had no cell service, no water and none of the things needed to survive for an extended period. All they had was the radio.

“We had no idea what was going on in the outside world, except listening to the radio, because that is how we got our information, so shoutout to 99.9 Kiss Country in Asheville!” Garcia said. “Once we got out of our house safely, we sat on the side of the road, just thinking, ‘What are we going to do,’ and then my friend saw us and picked us up. We are so thankful for them because they were literally a Godsend.”

Garcia said her neighborhood and community were destroyed, but as they moved from hotel to hotel, they were finally able to get one bar of cell service.

“I was able to finally reach family because they didn’t know what our situation was and were worried,” Garcia said. “They didn’t see exactly what devastation we were dealing with. We were trying to get a flight out of Asheville, but it was impossible trying to get Delta Airlines on the phone, so my Tia ended up booking a flight for us out of Charlotte.”

Garcia said most of their livelihood at that home was destroyed. They were able to salvage some important documents, and some clothes, but they lost everything, including winter clothes for her oldest daughter, which is a major issue as Asheville enters cooler weather.

But she said landing and seeing her family in San Antonio was a blessing.

“Getting here was normalcy, and when I saw my dad, I just broke down and I got to see my sister and cried with her,” Garcia said. “I am just grateful to see them. My girls are playing. They can laugh; they are safe, in dry clothes. They have the basic necessities, like power and water. To hear their laughter warms my heart, because, in all of this, you really have to find those little moments.”

Garcia said she is blessed to be back home with her family, and she’s blessed that her family is still alive. Her heart goes out to others who cannot say the same after this catastrophic experience.

“I just want them to know our community is going to help them get through these tough times,” she said. “It was community that helped us get out of our house, and it is community that is going to be there for one another. Be strong. Be courageous, turn toward your faith and listen to your gut. If your gut is telling you something, listen to it because it just might save your life.”

She said she is even more proud to say WNC Strong.

“North Carolinians are some of the nicest people I have ever met,” she said. “Western North Carolina Strong is what we say. I know I cannot fathom losing someone like that, but I just want people to know there are many resources out there, and all of us are going to band together to get those resources through.”

At this time, her family is raising money to rebuild their life in North Carolina. Her husband is there now, working his job and trying to pick up the pieces in his community.

“He is trying to muster through as best as he can, reporting to work but also figuring out what comes next for us,” Garcia said. “Our lives are out there, so he is doing the best he can, and I am so proud of him.”

While they are in San Antonio, Garcia’s father is taking warm clothing donations for her 8-year-old and 1-year-old daughter at 9314 Graze Branch Road in San Antonio.

Garcia is also asking everyone to donate in general to disaster relief, especially as Milton is hitting the Florida state. Multiple places are accepting any kind of donation.

99.9 Kiss Country is just one of the places in Henderson County that is asking for donations to help those hit hard by this catastrophic storm.

“You just never think it can happen to you, but it does, and even when it does, do not get discouraged, even though it feels like the world is against you right now. There are silver linings on the other side, and you are going to get through. If we can get through it. You can get through it too,” Garcia said.


About the Authors
Japhanie Gray headshot

Japhanie Gray is an anchor on Good Morning San Antonio and Good Morning San Antonio at 9 a.m. The award-winning journalist rejoined KSAT in August 2024 after previously working as a reporter on KSAT's Nightbeat from 2018 to 2021. She also highlights extraordinary stories in her series, What's Up South Texas.

Sal Salazar headshot

Sal Salazar is a photojournalist at KSAT 12. Before coming to KSAT in 1998, he worked at the Fox affiliate in San Antonio. Sal started off his career back in 1995 for the ABC Affiliate in Lubbock and has covered many high-profile news events since. In his free time, he enjoys spending time at home, gaming and loves traveling with his wife.

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