Video: Hurricane Helen survivors who met Trump share what the president's visit meant to them
Two North Carolinians who lived through Hurricane Helena in September and suffered significant losses from the storm shared one line from President Donald Trump that deeply resonated with them during his visit to the affected area on Friday.
Nearly a year after a deadly mudslide destroyed her mountain rental home during Hurricane Helen, North Carolina's Kylie Landolfi made a surprising discovery.
A 22-year-old woman discovered her missing iPhone under rubble near the ruins of her home in Bat Cave.
She was living there with her boyfriend, Andrew, 23, when a storm caused a landslide in September 2024.
The couple's home was levelled and they were forced to leave with their three pets, SWNS reported.
They managed to escape just a few minutes before another collapse occurred.
Nearly a year after a deadly mudslide destroyed her North Carolina rental home during Hurricane Helene, a woman has made a surprising discovery – a prized personal item. (SWNS)
The ground collapsed again, sending more debris raining down the slope.
“We got out from under the rubble just a few seconds before the second collapse,” Landolfi said.
She added: “Without shoes, phones or supplies, we were left exposed to dirt and debris.”
The couple survived with minor injuries, SWNS said.
“We treated an injured neighbor with a punctured lung and helped rescue a family of four trapped near the landslide zone,” Landolfi said, “including a mother with a shattered ankle and a child with a broken leg.”
“We got out from under the rubble just a few seconds before the collapse happened again.”
Landolfi and her boyfriend took refuge in a nearby house for 27 hours while waiting for firefighters.
During this time, they helped care for seriously injured neighbours, SWNS reported. The couple said they relied on instinct and teamwork to keep themselves safe.
Kylie Landolfi and her boyfriend Andrew survived a mudslide at their rented mountain home in Bat Cave, North Carolina, in September 2024 caused by Hurricane Helen. It pushed their home off its foundation and carried it down the hill. (SWNS)
Landolfi said she returned to the site several times but could not find any of her belongings.
In April 2025, Bat Cave Disaster Relief helped her return to the area to search again.
And that's when she made an incredible discovery.
“While I was digging through the rubble, I found my iPhone, covered in dust but seemingly intact,” she said.
“We lost almost all the pictures of our ferrets and our beloved home, as well as almost all the pictures of our ferrets that didn't escape,” she added.
Sourse: www.foxnews.com
