MAITLAND, Fla. – A Maitland couple is back home in Central Florida on Thursday night after being stranded for days on a North Carolina mountain due to the damage from Hurricane Helene.
George and Lynn Mackay were airlifted out by the U.S. Air National Guard after heavy rainfall and debris cut off all access to their cabin.
“It was just an ordinary day,” said George Mackay. “We weren’t expecting much from the storm.”
But as Helene hit, conditions rapidly worsened.
“It never stopped,” Mackay said. “It was colossal rain. Unbelievably heavy rainfall, 22 inches in two days.”
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The couple said there was debris piled as high as 5 feet, and the Mackays were left stranded inside the cabin George built more than 40 years ago.
“A number of big trees blocked the road, so there was no access at all. We were cut off completely,” Mackay recalled. “It scares the hell out of you when you realize you’re trapped. You start thinking about how much food you have and how long it’ll last.”
Days passed until a U.S. Air National Guard helicopter arrived on their property, giving them just minutes to evacuate.
“They said if anything happened, they couldn’t guarantee a response,” Mackay said. “They told us we had 5-10 minutes to pack what we could.”
With Lynn’s sister by their side, the couple strapped into the helicopter and were flown to safety.
“We flew over the beautiful North Carolina fields, heading to Hendersonville. The highway was washed out, trees were down, the damage was incredible,” Lynn Mackay said.
After a brief stay at a shelter, the Mackays rented a car and drove back to Maitland, thankful for their rescue.
“It gives you faith in America and Americans, and who we really are,” Lynn Mackay said.
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