‘You don’t want to die, so swim’: 80-year-old swam to safety through floodwaters

NEWPORT, Tenn. (WATE) — 80-year-old Sheila Creveling’s story of survival is nothing short of incredible. She lives along the French Broad River on River Chase Trail just outside of Newport. As the flood waters rose on September 27, she found herself in a battle to survive.

Creveling and her dog, Biscuit, found themselves battling roaring water and flowing debris in the French Broad River as the water took over her home and neighborhood.

“He was afraid and he turned around and looked at me and he drowned. That’s when I didn’t want to live anymore,” Creveling said. “But I have a son and I said ‘you can’t do that.’ The current was about 55 mph and it was taking me toward the center and when I got to the center, I just swam.”

Sheila said there was only one thing on her mind as she was battling the current and dodging debris, “swim or you’ll die.”

“You can do this. You don’t want to die, so swim. And I can swim,” she said. “That’s what was on my mind, you can do this so do it.”

Her son lives on the other side of the country and an officer who found Creveling called him to let him know she was safe.

“Officer Weber held my hand and asked me where my son was. I said, ‘he’s in Oregon,’ and of course he had been watching it on the news,” Creveling said. “He found his phone number and I don’t know how but he called him and he said, ‘I have your mother, she is alive.’ My son said, ‘oh my God.'”

Creveling was taken to the hospital to make sure she was okay. When she returned to her home, the damage seen was unimaginable.

“It was total devastation. However, I was warned in increments. I guess so I didn’t have a heart attack or something,” she said. “I just looked at it and said, ‘Well it’s gone.’ My dog was found and buried in the front yard and I’ll never leave this property, no matter what I have to do I’ll stay here.”

There has been an outpouring of support for her as she cleans up and assesses what to do next. She is thankful for the people who have stepped in to help.

“I’m so grateful for all the people that have come here and worked so hard. People I don’t even know,” Creveling said.

She added that in the last five to seven years, she has had two knee replacements on one leg and two hip replacements on the other. She told 6 News she is going to clean up and see what can be built there.

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