An 80-year-old Tennessee woman is recalling the harrowing moments when she jumped into a raging river to escape rising floodwaters during Hurricane Helene.
As her house on the banks of the French Broad River in Newport, Tenn. began to take on water on Friday, Sept. 27, Sheila Creveling decided her only way to survive was to abandon her home, according to CBS affiliate WVLT-TV.
Creveling then jumped into the river along with her dog, Biscuit. “That‘s when I said, ’I‘m not going to die today,’ ” the woman told the news station. “Today is not the day I’m going to die.’ And I didn’t.”
Per WVLT, she spent about 45 minutes trying to stay afloat in the river, even as she was separated from Biscuit, who ultimately did not survive.
Eventually, she made it to higher ground where a neighbor spotted her and alerted authorities. A first responder and his team were then able to pull her to safety, according to GoFundMe established in her name.
Upon arriving at a nearby local hospital, doctors determined that the octogenarian had suffered a heart attack. She was then transferred to a larger hospital in Knoxville, the campaign organizer noted.
Sheila Creveling’s dog, Biscuit.
Monterey Lions Club Disaster Response Team/Facebook
With her home a near-total loss, friends and family members are raising money to rebuild Creveling’s home and to replace her belongings. She was, however, able to salvage a few photographs as well as her father’s medals.
According to WLVT, Creveling has spent the past three weeks living in a hotel in Pigeon Forge as she recovers from the incident. She then plans to move into a camper that’s been donated to her.
“I was determined to make it, and I did,” Creveling told the news station. “I think that’s a miracle because I ended up right where I wanted to. How that happened, I can’t tell you, but I did, and someone found me and saved me.”
