Bride & Groom’s Family Save Their Wedding Venue’s Farm Animals From Helene Flooding — ‘The Owners Told Us To Leave Them Behind’
Their owners, who had an obligation to care for the animals, were the first to abandon them.
Maria Sbytova, Kzara Visual | CanvaPro As much of the South and Southeastern U.S. recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, social media has begun to share survivor stories and recovery efforts.
Bride Kelsey McDonnell experienced the storm firsthand in Swannanoa, North Carolina, and is raising money for damage efforts and emergency shelters for animals after rescuing her wedding venue’s farm animals just a few days ago.
“The wedding venue in Swannanoa told us to let their animals die rather than let them out of their areas,” she wrote in text on a recent TikTok video. “We couldn’t stand by and watch as 8 farm animals drowned or got swept away by debris.”
The bride and groom’s family saved the farm animals at their wedding venue from Hurricane Helene floods.
In the TikTok shared on McDonnell’s page, she said their wedding scene took a dramatic shift after Hurricane Helene’s destruction quickly spread through North Carolina, causing a historic level of damage for many of the communities in its wake.
Expected to follow an emergency plan for the farm animals at their wedding venue, they were equally horrified and disgusted when the owners told them to leave everything behind. “The animals were next to the river, and the water was rising… They left them to die.”
McDonnell and her family stepped in where the farm owners wouldn't, however.
After breaking goats out of their pen, rescuing horses from neck-deep flooding, and mourning the farm’s donkey, the bride, groom, and family shared the reality of their wedding.
While much attention is paid online to survivor stories, emergency resources, and news reporting on Helene, the reality of animals, from household pets to farm animals, is often unspoken until the unfortunate realities they’ve endured come out days later.
While there are certain rescue organizations and emergency resources for animals in the wake of natural disasters, the truth is it’s people and property that are priorities — especially as preparatory funding decreases and help dwindles.
However, McDonnell's family stepped in, despite the venue’s wishes to have their farm animals “left behind.”
Using chainsaws to break goats out of their gated enclosures, swimming into floods to rescue horses, and transporting the remaining animals to dry ground, the family sacrificed their own well-being to give the animals a chance — at the very least, they felt like it was their obligation.
LindaMarieCaldwell, Supawadee | CanvaPro
“Unfortunately, the small donkey didn’t make it,” McDonnell shared, “after we watched him swim for his life for over 2 hours.” Outraged by the farm’s “ignorance and mistreatment,” as commenters labeled it, many people celebrated the family for their sacrifices.
“Imagine being trapped in rising water, and the people you trust to take care of you are nowhere to be found,” one wrote. “Thank you for not abandoning them.”
In an updated TikTok post yesterday, McDonnell shared pictures of the wedding venue’s rescued animals, most of which were finally dry and relaxing after a notably traumatic week. “Our family is safe,” she wrote, “but many are stranded without supplies.”
Following the now-viral video, McDonnell transformed her social media pages into donation resources for the community, hoping to leverage its popularity into actionable resources for her friends and family.
As surrounding counties and states continue to address the Helene flooding damage, communities have come together to rally resources and support.
As many creators and residents, including Rion, known as @orneryporcupine on TikTok, have tried to relay to those unaffected by the storm, many counties and communities have not received adequate resources, support, and emergency services to address Hurricane Helene’s destruction.
Instead, they’ve turned to grassroots donation centers, local organization, and their neighbors for support and survival.
It’s these communities, families, friends, and neighbors that are coming together, partly because they love one another and partly because they have no other choice but to help feed, support, and save one another amidst ongoing flooding and damage.
Like these wedding venue owners, who likely didn’t have access to resources for transporting their animals or last-minute emergency support to find space for them, many people are having to make unimaginable decisions with their homes, cars, and animals.
Lina Moiseienko | CanvaPro
It’s already a polarizing debate whether your pets and animals are “worth dying over.”
As natural disasters like hurricanes continue to grow more intense, with larger storm paths and greater damage, it’s essential that our emergency resources are accessible to everyone.
We shouldn’t have to choose between our own survival and our pets’ well-being. We have the capacity to cultivate disaster plans and supply resources that help everyone; we just need to leverage these experiences to demand them.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories