The Chad and Brittany Eggers Story

First, and foremost, my family and I are living proof of the Grace of God. When you hear our story, as told in words and photographs, there is no practical reason that we should be alive. The smell of death was all around us, as we emerged from the tons of debris that was once our home. When we assessed how close we came to dying, we were overwhelmed by the fact that God must have something incredibly special for each one of us to accomplish with our lives. Otherwise, why were our hearts still beating? Why were our bodies still in one piece? We were overcome with grief, along with an enormous fear of the unknown. So, we asked ourselves, “Where do we go from here?” “What’s next?” “Where do we turn?” “And to whom do we turn to?”

Let me introduce myself. My name is Brittany Eggers. My husband Chad and I, along with our three children, lived on Wes Brewer Road in Newland, North Carolina, until Friday, September 27, 2024, when Hurricane Helene destroyed our entire world. In less than fifteen seconds…everything we had ever worked for…WAS GONE. But the devastation and loss didn’t stop there. My children’s beloved dog Thor was swallowed up, and buried alive by the rapidly changing landscape..

As I stood in the mud that was waist deep, I tried to imagine how this was possible. The rolling hillsides had existed for generations in my family, yet, the ground all around us erupted like a volcano. Nothing was spared. Not even our sense of “security.” Remarkably, three of us came out alive, and unscathed. Our thirteen-year-old daughter Addison was at a friend’s house, but our seven-year-old son Hudson was missing.

So, let me back up for a moment. Before our world was demolished, we were like everyone else, finding ways to survive the frightening effects of Hurricane Helene. As the storm raged on, I left Hudson sleeping soundly in our bed. To keep my mind off the storm, I decided to work a crossword puzzle. Within minutes I heard a large cracking sound. Suddenly, the floor underneath my feet was shifting in two different directions. Our house was broken in half like an egg. My first response was to scream, “GET MY BABIES!” Tragically, no one was within my reach.

A fraction of a second before our house exploded, Chad heard a tree fall. Before he could process what was happening, the floor where he was standing abruptly disappeared. The roof, ceilings, and walls were falling in on top of us, as the mass of debris began to take flight. During our two hundred yard journey, it was like freefalling from an airplane without a parachute. There was no place to run, no place to hide, and no way to escape the fury of the landslide.

The broken pieces of our house abruptly came to a stop when it crashed into a massive rock on the lower side of our property. The ground was still shifting under our feet, as we climbed to safety. We lost everything…but our lives.

Hudson is having it the hardest. He was sleeping in our master bedroom when disaster struck. At the same time, a seventy foot tree harpooned the back side of the house, crashed through the walls, broke the head board where he was sleeping, and was stopped by an “Act of God” before it took his life. That was the last thing that Chad saw. We were all separated, as the house exploded into a “thousand pieces.” After a grueling period of searching for our son, we found him inside Chad’s excavator. The only thing he could say was, “Mama. I rolled outside.” When you look at the picture below, we will let you decide for yourself. Was it an “Angel”…or not…who swept our young son away…and gently placed him safely in that cab with shattered windows? The bed where he slept was buried by a mountain of churned up earth, and the splintered pieces of our house. From any location, it would have been impossible for him to climb into the cab, especially during the throes of a crushing landslide.

When there is a strong breeze, or a hint of thunder, our son is afraid the house will move. It only takes a few dark clouds for him to fall into a state of total panic. That’s why we told Hudson that his dog Thor died to become his “Guardian Angel.”

Thankfully, our children are back in school, which is giving them a small sense of normalcy. As for me, I hate the unknown. I couldn’t sleep, or close my eyes for the first five days. If I hear a popping, or a cracking sound, those paralyzing memories rush back. When the house finally stopped moving after the landslide, I thought everyone was dead. We were thrown in different directions. Even today, if I call out for my kids, and they don’t answer me immediately, I panic. When my husband Chad lies down, he can feel the house moving. And there is nothing he can do to stop that terrifying sensation. This leaves my fearless husband at the mercy of his own emotions.

At the moment, our lives are on hold. Yet, we are Blessed to have a temporary roof over our heads, until the last of May. We are left with nothing, except God, and one another. Unfortunately, we didn’t have money for flood insurance on our nine-month-old modular home. Our homeowners insurance didn’t cover landslides. Due to the state of the economy, we were barely staying above water financially, living paycheck to paycheck. Now, we are literally trying to climb out of a hole in an effort to restart our lives. We have a $190,000.00 loan on a house that was totally destroyed. Then, we have to find the resources to start over after we pay off this massive debt. Needless to say…we are reaching out to someone…anyone… who might be in a position to help us in any way possible.

These first-hand accounts, and the photographs we are sharing, can only provide you with a glimpse into the horror movie, and the nightmare, that is our new reality. This has been a humbling, yet humiliating experience. Thankfully, we have people who are still praying the paint off the walls for me and my family. But it’s not just my house that I miss. I ache for the small things that can never be replaced. It’s my family pictures of special birthdays, anniversaries, and the holidays that we shared with family and friends. I am also devastated over my Christmas ornaments. Each year we would add a few ornaments to our collection, which decorated our tree with love and special memories.

If you were to ask us what we miss most about our humble life…it would be our sense of “peace.” Without it, you lose your feeling of “security.” That’s why we pray that God will restore the “safe haven” we shared in our home. We are certain there is a ‘Garden of Peace’ out there just a waiting to find us. Even though our hearts are full to overflowing with grief…and tremendous loss…we are working toward a “GARDEN OF PEACE” that will come…if we will only…“BELIEVE.”

We are a living testament to families helping families. Friends helping friends. And total strangers helping other strangers like us…who have lost our way during this grievous time. Yet…we still believe in “Angels”…and the Goodness of God. Do you?

It is not part of our character to ask anyone for a dollar, for any reason. Yet, our needs are beyond description. If God lays it on your heart to reach out…and you’re not exactly sure how to help…our friend has suggested that you close your eyes…and then imagine this happening to your own family. Then…ask yourself what might be your greatest need in a time of crisis like this. If you are so moved, whatever God lays on your heart to share with us will be graciously accepted by me, my husband Chad, our daughter Addison, and our two sons, Noah and Hudson.

We have always been grateful for God’s Goodness. Especially now…as we walk into the unknown…facing new challenges.

Thank you for taking time to read our story. Our friends have set-up a Go Fund Me Page: “Fundraiser for Brittany” https://gofund.me/176c7860. You will find our Venmo code below.  https://venmo.com/u/bleggers

With thankful hearts,

Brittany Eggers and Family

About: The RISE Disaster Relief and Recovery Inc., (RISE) is a non-profit corporation that was founded by Sylvie Langevin to bridge the gap between federal and private insurance disaster recovery assistance. This gap leaves homeowners such as the Eggars family without proper assistance; RISE's mission is to address the needs of people and homes not being covered by such disaster relief programs.

RISE provides comprehensive disaster relief and recovery services, including search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, basic food/water, and hygiene kits, daily hot meals, debris removal, roof tarping, minor home repairs, and guidance/information on how a family/individual can mitigate their losses as they face future storm impacts at their home.

As part of its community enrichment services, RISE offers educational materials, resources, and videos regarding storm preparedness and recovery.