‘They’re not garbage’: Avery County search and rescue team works to recover a casket washed away by Helene

AVERY COUNTY (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Queen City News traveled along with search and rescue team deputies in Avery County on a mission to the Elk Park community along the Elk River Tuesday where deputies were working to recover a casket found days earlier.

The force of the water from the Elk River during Hurricane Helene sliced through a concrete and steel bridge cutting a gaping hole in Elk River Road.

At the end of the crumbling road is the point where sheriff’s deputies launched their search Tuesday morning.

There are very few spots along Elk River Road that Helene didn’t destroy.

“We’ve had small disasters in Avery County in my lifetime but not on this scale,” said Investigator Tim Austin with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies in Avery County took QCN on a ride along a road that’s not supposed to be dirt, but there are very few pockets of pavement after the hurricane swept through Avery County in the early morning hours of September 27.

“I grew up here, the face of my county has changed,” said Austin.

Deputies showed us how one of their fellow deputy’s homes was just wiped off the map.

“You can’t even tell there was a house there. It’s just a pile of rubble,” said Austin.

Crumbling roads, mud-caked tractors, and homes torn apart make up neighborhoods now unrecognizable to Austin.

“I’ve rolled into these areas and cried.  I don’t cry easily but this just broke my heart,” said Austin.

Even dealing with their own losses, they show up to work every day to search.

On Tuesday, it was for something in particular.

“From the air, we can see a whole lot more than you can from the ground,” said Austin.

Several days ago, searchers found a casket that was washed downriver.

“Don’t know who it is, estimated age is going to be a very long time ago,” said Austin.

Because the bridge is washed out, deputies can’t get to the casket, so they brought in the National Guard.

Their vehicle made it across the bridge and guard members hiked the roughly one mile to try and find the casket.

“That’s somebody’s loved one out there that we need to bring home,” said Austin.

They couldn’t recover the casket Tuesday, but they won’t stop searching.

“They’re not garbage, we don’t need to leave them on the riverbank, we need to bring everyone home,” said Austin.

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