Man Rescued from Floodwaters of Hurricane Helene ’Praying for a Miracle’ in Search for Missing Fiancée

Mar. 15, 2025

John Norwood.Photo:Good Morning America/X

Good Morning America/X

“It happened so fast,” Norwood recalled toThe News & Observer. “All I remember is a bunch of crashing noises, and then I was underwater, and that was it.”

Norwood told the outlet that he had stepped to one side of the home while his fiancée stepped to another and they got separated when the debris came in. In the aftermath, he told ABC News that a ceiling rafter crushed his legs, but he kept trying to get to Le Roux to no avail.

“I crawled around screaming, looking for her, and I just couldn’t find her,” he tearfully told the outlet, adding that they all “got washed downriver.”

John Norwood and Julie le Roux.Missing in McDowell Helene 2024 Facebook

Missing in McDowell Helene 2024 Facebook

Norwood is also continuing his search for Le Roux, who is one of hundreds still missing due to Hurricane Helene. The Homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood Randall told ABC News that there could be up to “600 people unaccounted for."

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marion, North Carolina.Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

“That’s the number we’re tracking right now and that we can essentially validate from multiple sources,” she added, noting that it could also be that “some of those people just don’t have cell phones working and actually are alive."

More than two hundred people were reported dead in the aftermath of Helene as of Oct. 4, according toNBC News. More than half the deaths documented had been in North Carolina, per the outlet.

Despite this, Norwood toldThe News & Observerthat he wasn’t giving up hope on finding his fiancée.

“I’m praying for a miracle,” he said.

source: people.com