An idyllic family who had built their peace of heaven near the river in the North Carolina mountains have been swept by a huge wave during Hurricane Helene.
The family of four, Alison Wisely, her fiancé Knox Petrucci, and her two children, Felix, 9, and Lucas, 7, tried to leave their home as the hurricane approached, but their vehicle began to float as they tried to navigate the floodwaters. As driving the car was hard, they abandoned their efforts to evacuate and decided to return to their home, but on their way home, a wave swept them all into the Toe River.
Since the tragedy struck, their bodies were all recovered.
As per close family members, Alison and Knox made preparations when warnings of Hurricane Helene had been announced. They purchased pallets and sandbags and anticipated minor flooding of their home’s basement, believing the mountains would serve as a protection, mainly because the area has never experienced extreme weather events.
Sadly, they were wrong as the Toe River surged by 22 feet, with water levels coming within inches of reaching the ceiling of Alison and Knox’s one-story house.
According to the GoFundMe set by Knox’s sister Briana Petrucci Yarbrough, her brother and Alison were to get married on November 9, 2024.
She wrote about how precious the family was and how idyllic the life they created had been.
Knox was a beekeeper, musician, songwriter, artist, and an aspiring blacksmith. “Along with being an advocate for the Earth and bees, Knox was always there for friends who were like family and inspired others in the way he moved through life with authenticity and boundless love and acceptance,” the Briana wrote of her brother.
“Brilliant and wise Alison, was a most loving mother to the boys she shared and co-parented with Lance Wisely, their devoted dad,” she continued.
Felix and Lucas were adorable young boys who loved playing Minecraft and enjoyed drawing and painting.
The boys’ dad, Lance Wisely, took to Facebook to share the devastating news of his children’s, Alison’s and Knox’s tragic deaths.
“The boys were loved fiercely and generously by all of their grown ups, and by you, even many of you who never met them have watched them grow up and shared in our joys as a family. Their lives were dense with adventure, art, silliness, and snuggles. It has been my great honor and pleasure and exhausting privilege to be their father for their time in this world with us,” he wrote.
He praised Alison for being a great mother, and added that Knox had always impressed him for loving the boys as though they were his own.
Recent reports indicate that over 230 people have been discovered dead following Hurricane Helene, as authorities in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee continue recovering bodies nearly two weeks after the storm struck. The death toll of Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida on October 9, has been reported to be at least 16.
We are deeply sorry for the tragic loss experienced by everyone affected by the devastating hurricanes.
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