RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Tennessee couple is thankful to be alive after surviving Hurricane Helene during an anniversary trip in North Carolina. Ever since, they’ve been trying to give back to strangers who risked their lives to help them.

Ben and Amanda Gibson are thankful to be home with their dog, Paulee, after getting stuck in Burnsville, North Carolina for several days with no cell service or power.

“You feel everything shake around you, and I think that was when it kind of started to hit: it wasn’t just a rainstorm,” Ben said. “It was more than that.”

The two were celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary and checked into a short-term rental on Thursday, Sept. 26. The couple mentioned to the cleaning staff that heir car had gotten stuck trying to get up the mountain, and staff said they would try to help in the coming days.

However, the storm stuck overnight and destroyed the road up to their rental. On Friday morning, they got a knock on the door from two women with the cleaning staff.

“We were completely shocked,” Amanda told News 2. “I was bursting into tears. I was like, ‘Why are you guys here?'” Amanda said. “They weren’t even sure if their house was going to be standing and if their animals were safe.”

Ben and Amanda said that the women waited out the storm with them until they were rescued by a helicopter on Sunday.

“Their selflessness in everything…two complete strangers to us came back up the mountain just to make sure basically that we were okay, then ended up getting stuck there with us,” Ben added.

Ben and Amanda are working to raise money for the two women.

“They’ve lost their jobs. They have no work right now,” Amanda said. “They’ve been using the last of their money — from what we’ve learned — to go back out in their community.”

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After the couple was rescued by the helicopter, family picked them up from the landing pad and drove them back to Murfreesboro. Their car remains in North Carolina. Despite these setbacks, both felt grateful to be alive.

They said that the event opened their eyes to everyday things that most take for granted, like clean water and access to food. The kindness Ben and Amanda were shown is a gesture that will stick with them for a lifetime.

“We want them in our lives forever because of what they gave us, how they helped us and kept hope for us,” Amanda said.

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