BOONE, N.C. — Helene’s destruction has left many Appalachian State University students without a place to go.
“We are literally in a swamp right now,” Maxton Babula, an App State student, said.
Maxton said he was home with his roommates when the water came flushing in.
“Water was already coming into the house through the doors and underneath the floors and stuff, it just kept rising,” Maxton said.
He said they took as many items as they could to the attic, as the water continued to reach a new high quickly.
“The water was rising so fast that every time we come back downstairs to get something else it'd be up to our ankle then it's up to our knee,” said Maxton.
Maxton said now many personal items are destroyed and his mind is in shambles.
“I’m mentally exhausted if I’m being honest, it's been that way since the day of the flood,” said Maxton.
“I’m trying to get things back on track, but also I got a bunch of applications to apply for and different aids and stuff,” Maxton said.
He said since then the school has also opened an emergency fund and has pushed back classes to bring some relief to students looking for a safe place to lay their heads, but the sting of the storm lingers throughout Boone community.
Many students and families are just clinging to the small things they have left.
“I’m going back to the house and trying to like salvage things I can wash off and clean, hopefully, I’ll be able to take something with me wherever I go next,” Maxton said.
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