Crucifix found by Hendersonville family during Helene an answered prayer

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – “The sun wasn’t even shining in the house, it was just sitting there waiting for me to pick it up.”

It’s almost hard to figure out what exactly is piled up in Rich Dematteo’s front yard.

“None of this is mine at all,” said Rich.

Tangles of tree limbs and debris surround his home in Hendersonville, North Carolina. They had only lived there for two months when ‘Hurricane Helene’ hit.

“It’s usually a small creek. It’s about four-foot wide and less than a foot deep,” said Rich, pointing to the water in front of his home. “It’s a river now. I’m going to put a sign on the thing that says ‘Stoney River,’ instead of Stoney Creek.”

At the time, the creek truly became a river and the water came inside, trapping him, his wife, and his son.

“It started coming up through the air vents and the floor and got up the counters, and we called our family and said goodbye,” remembered Rich.

After that goodbye, they said a prayer, and then the water came down.

“We thought it was over, (we thought) it was done,” said Rich.

One of the first things he found and put up was his American flag. He served in the Navy for eight years.

“It means a lot, it means everything,” said Rich.

In situations where pain and loss are everywhere, searching for meaning can feel like an insurmountable task.

“I found it today, I looked down and it was right there,” said Rich.

Inside a house that no longer feels like home, that’s where Rich found his wife’s crucifix.

“It was in about a foot and a half of mud,” said Rich. “The crucifix itself was sticking up like that.”

For him, it’s a symbol of their answered prayer and the meaning he was searching for.

“That’s God just telling me, I’m right here.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.