DAMASCUS, Va. — It's been more than a month since flood waters from Hurricane Helene changed the lives of a Virginia family forever.
The family of Mike and Amy French is banding together and has started a GoFundMe. They hope to use the money to help them rebuild after their entire, paid-off home was taken by flood waters.
A camper parked near the French's home along the Appalachian Trail in Damascus was swept up by flood waters brought on by Hurricane Helene. The camper slammed into the house, knocking it off the foundation and sending it down the stream in their backyard.
"I remember signing our names and dating it in our of closets, they day we moved in," Mike said. "And it was June of 1998, so 26-years."
Mike and Amy have been together for decades. They have two adult kids and a young grandchild.
They said they're grateful to be alive and to have loved ones around. They said losing the home they spent their lives in, and all of the irreplaceable memories inside, is devastating.
Amy said she was home with their grandchild when the rains started to fall and flooded the stream in their backyard. They were packing up the child's things to take her back to her parents when they first realized something was wrong.
"Out of nowhere my husband told me to grab (the child) and run," she said. "About that time, we literally ran out the door. My dogs followed, my husband carried one. I was knee deep in water by the time we got up to the top of my driveway."
Mike ran back to the home to rescue all of the family pets that were still inside.
Later on, they saw the camper that was parked up the street had started floating in the flood waters and it was heading toward their home.
Mike caught the camper smashing into the home on video. He said it knocked the home off its foundation, sending it into a nearby bridge. The bridge buckled when the house hit it.
More than a month later, Mike stands on the slabs of concrete left of his foundation.
"We didn't even get hit from the back, we got hit from the side," Mike said.
Although aid is available to victims of Hurricane Helene, the French family said they aren't being offered much by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Right before they spoke with 10News, FEMA told them they'd give them $9,000. Mike said he'd just put a new fence around the property that cost $6,000.
The Frenchs said the Damascus police chief and local community groups have helped a lot.
"The community has been amazing," Amy said. "Damascus, Abingdon, the churches, they've been wonderful and we are all so grateful for the help. But, I guess the assistance you'd think you'd get from FEMA, is not there. Red Cross has done what they could, they've been very supportive in bringing food and supplies, and getting what they could, but of course they can only do so much, too."
Amy said the family lost their wedding rings, her wedding dress and countless family heirlooms with meaning in the flood.
"I grabbed nothing, I didn't grab a purse, I didn't grab wedding rings," Amy said. "My husband's wedding ring, my wedding dress, which of course would've went to my daughter. I wish we could at least find that."
The family said at this point, they're looking forward, but they could use some support from the community.
"They say the odds are one-in-million of (this) happening," Mike said. "But you're the one in the million, the odds seem pretty high."