Support Andrew and Lindsay's Recovery Journey

Hi, I’m Lindsay Thomas. My partner, Andrew Marsh, and I are grateful to be alive after a landslide hit our home during Hurricane Helene. Before the storm I was a yoga instructor and a massage therapist. Andrew owned WNC Metal Works & Design. We’ve lost everything.

A 40 feet high and 300 feet wide wave of boulders, mud, trees and debris hit our beloved home with us inside. Our home collapsed on impact and crushed us within the remains while carrying us a quarter of a mile away from our property inside of a 60 foot pile of rubble. It is an absolute miracle that we are alive.

15 hours later after we freed ourselves from the rubble, we were rescued by an incredible swift water rescue team. We were transported on a zipline in rescue baskets across the raging river that was once our little mountain creek, into the back of ATV’s to take the bumpy ride down the 8 miles of reworked road and remade bridges to ambulances and finally to the hospital. I was unable to walk for many weeks, battled infections in the wounds across my body, and learned from an MRI that I had torn many ligaments in my left knee that required surgery and months of recovery. Andrew had a severe laceration on his right hand that required stitches with many wounds from head to toe. We both suffered from severe compression and crush injuries.

The pile of rubble that we crawled out of was the remnants of everything we owned. Andrew is a veteran of the Navy and took many years to create the workshop of his dreams on our property, full of all the tools that he needed to utilize for his trade work skills ranging from welding to blacksmithing to engineering. I am a yoga teacher and a massage therapist and lost my massage table as well as all of my tools for massage and teaching yoga and leading workshops and retreats.

Both of us being very independent people, asking for help is a challenge. With loss at this magnitude, we cannot do this alone. We have been blown away by the support and love of our families, our friends, our communities and from many people we have never met. It has truly blown the doors of our healing hearts wide open!

Homeowners insurance has denied us completely despite extended coverages that expanded to Andrews business and medical costs due to definitions of how "land movement" works. We still owe a mortgage on a home that doesn’t exist that is on a plot of land that has been stripped down to bedrock.

Donations will be used to pay for medical bills, replace belongings, food, temporary housing, and to allow time for healing for the interim period as we decide what our next steps look like in regards to our home and our future.

This experience has been unfathomable. We deeply appreciate the love and support that has poured in and allowed us the space to find our way forward. Thank you!.

Before

After