As Hurricane Helene barreled through Western North Carolina last month, the entire community experienced unprecedented devastation. But one family, in particular, felt a compounded heartache after watching both their home and their beloved cat float away in the floods.

Camille Collins and her husband, David, welcomed their cat, Blanco, into the family after finding him sleeping in a compost bin earlier this year. As complete as the family of eight felt in June, the stray white cat quickly became their valued ninth member.

“I remember petting him on the head, and he immediately started purring,” Collins told The Dodo. “After a few more days, all eight of us on the property were able to pet him.”

Blanco soon settled into the Collins family’s farm as if he’d always lived there. With five different RVs on the property that housed various family members, Blanco quickly developed a new daily routine.

“He typically checks in with everyone and always knows what is going on,” Collins said. “He loves going on hikes with us and laying down on my mom, Marilyn Pantoja’s, porch.”

Blanco loved his new life and family, but everything changed in a flash when Hurricane Helene hit on September 26. The unexpected storm intensified quickly, causing life-threatening floods in minutes.

Collins’ mother-in-law, Nan Collins, and her brother-in-law, Jonathon Collins, were the only ones on the property during the event. As Blanco, an outdoor cat, sought refuge at the back of the farm, Nan and Jonathon scrambled to move their belongings to higher ground. Minutes later, they looked up and saw a heart-stopping sight.

“They quickly got very busy moving vehicles and items as the flood waters rose much higher than aniticipated,” Collins said. “At some point, they suddenly noticed Blanco on the roof of my mom’s RV, which eventually started floating away.”

Blanco had seemingly jumped on Pantoja’s RV for safety from the rising waters. But as the RV was swept away in the floods, it soon collided with their neighbor’s house. Blanco tried jumping to higher ground but ultimately couldn’t hold on long enough.

“He jumped onto the neighbor’s house when the RV collided with it,” Collins said. “Jonathon saw Blanco slide off the roof into the water. He ran to try and see if he would make it to shore, but powerlines fell 15 feet in front of him, and he was unable to make it further.”

Collins’ in-laws were devastated.

“Jonathon and Nan felt absolutely helpless when they saw him float away,” Collins said. “Jonathon thought Blanco fell into the water, so we were not expecting to see him again.”

After some failed attempts at finding Blanco, Jonathon and Nan ran into the hills behind their property for shelter. When the storm eventually ended, Nan called her daughter-in-law with the heartbreaking updates.

“When my husband and I learned of the extent of the destruction along our river, we had little hope of his return,” Collins said.

Eight days later, a miracle happened: Blanco reappeared.

“Jonathon saw a white cat, and [he] meowed at him when called, but the cat wouldn’t let him approach,” Collins said. “Nan picked up cat food, and spent an hour back in the hills trying to lure him down. He eventually came to the roof of our barn wreckage, and once Nan was able to pet him, he closed his eyes and purred as if it was his first time being pet.”

Jonathon and Nan were beyond elated to see Blanco again and called Collins with the exciting news. Camille, David and their kids rushed back to the family property as soon as they got the call, where they enjoyed a sweet reunion with their survivor cat.

“When we were all reunited with him, he was quickly back to his old self: following us as we walk, quietly asking to be pet and rubbing noses with our dog, Dora,” Collins said.

The Collins family is still working on rebuilding their beloved farm and homes, which were sadly destroyed by the storm. Despite the heartache, they are relieved to know that everyone, including Blanco, survived.

“All of us made it out alive, and we want to continue our dream of building our family farm,” Collins said. “We have a lot of work ahead, and Blanco insists on staying near the wreckage despite us putting our camper on the next lot over.”

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Source: The Wall Street Journal