Beloved Teacher Still Missing After Hurricane Helene Floodwaters Pushed Vacation Home into River

Mar. 15, 2025

A Voice For The Voiceless, Inc./Facebook

A beloved teacher from North Carolina is still missing after floodwaters from Hurricane Helene pushed a vacation home into a raging river.

But while they were there, disaster struck. Meidinger said her stepfather opened the front door of the home on Friday and noticed “a quarter of the house had already been washed away.”

“They were just kind of on that mattress as the house was floating down the river, and it hit a bridge,” Meidinger said, adding, “that’s what caused the house to collapse on them.”

The group then hit a tree, which caused the couple to be separated, Meidinger explained. Rod was able to grab a tree and pull himself from the water, but Kim was nowhere to be found. Their three dogs also went missing, and still have not been found.

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Rod ran 10 miles until he reached a home and was able to contact his family, according toUSA Today. Meidinger said her stepfather is “really broken up and just anxious to get back out there to keep searching” for his missing wife.

SanLee Middle School, where Kim worked as a 7th grade teacher, has “been reaching out regularly” to Kim’s family and “doing prayer circles” as they wait for updates, according to Meidinger.

The death toll for Hurricane Helene, whichmade landfallas a Category 4 storm on Thursday, Sept. 26, has claimed the lives of at least 200 people,CNNreported.

To learn more about how to help with relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Helene,click here.

source: people.com