DALLAS — Amy Schultz was supposed to be in the mountains of Western North Carolina for what she called one of her speedbump birthdays – a year that ends in a five.
She lives in North Texas but used to be a Florida resident, so she doesn’t take hurricanes lightly.
She and her husband were scheduled on an American Airlines flight from DFW Thursday.
But when the airline waived its change fees because a hurricane was bearing down across the southeast, they took it as a sign to cancel their trip.
“I am so grateful that we didn't go,” Amy said. “On the other hand, I'm so devastated by seeing people and their lives and their property. And the culture of that Asheville community is just been toppled and it's catastrophic.”
Amy Schultz is an artist, and the Blue Ridge Mountains is a haven for the arts.
That’s one reason the couple started visiting years ago. Amy called the region “a national treasure.”
“It's just so special. It’s out of a fairy tale. The natural beauty is extraordinary,” she said.
Regular visits turned into buying a home in the city of Black Mountain.
They closed on the home on Second Street two months ago. Then came deadly floods.
Buncombe County, where Black Mountain is, reports 57 lives lost and the search for survivors continues.
The Schultzes had become fast friends with their new neighbors, but without power or cell phone service across the region, they couldn’t reach any of them.
They left messages and held onto hope for days on end.
Finally, on Amy’s birthday, a neighbor who had driven to Raleigh finally got cell service restored and let them know their house was standing and only had minimal damage.
“Damage on our end of the street was due more to falling trees than flooding,” Amy said. “We are so relieved and grateful. And still so sad.”
“Our plan is to go back as soon as we can. As soon as it's safe. As soon as we're not taking gas away from people who want it, and as soon as we're not taking water away from people who need it, That's when we're going to go back,” Amy said.