Wonder Cat returns after being swept away by stormwater

She never thought she’d see him again when Nan Collins’ cat fell off her neighbor’s roof into floodwaters during Tropical Storm Helen.

But Blanco, a 1.5-year-old white cat, returned to the Collins home in Burnsville eight days later.

“So much has been washed away and Helen brought so much destruction,” Collins said. “Blanco is a little member of our family and we just cried with joy when he came home.”

Collins and one of her sons stayed on their property along the Kane River in Yancey County, while the rest of her family evacuated.

More Burnsville news: The all-volunteer Burnsville Field Hospital is helping to save lives and treat the injured after Helen

She moved to the area and rented a house to be closer to her two sons. About four months before the storm, she set up a van on her sons’ property near the river. Her family planned to build their houses on the rise, but in the meantime lived closer to the river.

“The plan wasn’t to live low, but to go higher with the views,” Collins said.

Collins, her two sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildren enjoyed Burnsville’s inviting and family atmosphere. According to Collins, they have set up their temporary homes in an area that has not been affected by historic floods.

They never expected the damage that Tropical Storm Helen would cause.

Collins and her son watched the river rise higher and higher. They saw a dump truck and a neighbor’s house floating by. That’s when Collins’ son spotted Blanco on top of the family’s camper as the water began to take him away.

“The levee had already broken and the water was 20 feet higher than normal,” Collins said. “It was too far and we couldn’t get to Blanco.”

The camper was pushed into a neighbor’s house and Blanco tried to climb onto the roof before slipping and falling into the water. They never saw the cat resurface in the water.

more: Looking back at the hopes and challenges in WNC, one month after Tropical Storm Helen

Collins and her son drove to the highlands in cars filled with supplies, then slept in the car for four days as downed power lines and damaged roads and bridges made travel impossible.

More than a week later, Collins’ son was sorting through debris on the family’s property when he heard meowing, but the cat was gone again when Collins returned home.

“I wasn’t going to leave without him again,” Collins said. – I went up to the bays, called his name, sang him a song and meowed to him. After 45 minutes, he climbs over the damaged roof of the shed. »

Collins and Blanco were reunited, the cat purring and rubbing against Collins’ arms.

“He’s a little miracle cat,” Collins said. “All I could do was cry tears of joy.”

Collins took the cat to a mobile veterinary clinic, where he was treated with antibiotics. Blanco is now back to her normal life, and she and her family are living in donated campers on their property, Collins said.

“Every day blessings come from above,” she said. “So many people from all over came and helped. It is one of the greatest blessings to have (Blanko) back.”

Contact Jake Allen at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.