Support the Wiebe Family After Tragic Loss

Ricky Wiebe is organizing this fundraiser.

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The Western North Carolina area was devastated by Hurricane Helene on Friday, September 27, 2024. The Burnsville community, just northeast of Asheville, was hit particularly hard.

Pillars of the community, the Wiebe family suffered an unimaginable tragedy when four family members lost their lives as the river swept away their home. Anna’s sister, Anastasiia Novitnia-Segen (born June 27, 1982; age 42), her husband, Dmytro Segen (born April 15, 1983; age 41), their son, Yevhenii Segen (born August 17, 2011; age 13), and Anna’s mother, Tetyana Novitnia (born July 2, 1951; age 73), have been missing since the hurricane and are presumed dead.

Anna’s sister, Anastasiia Novitnia-Segen, along with her husband Dmytro, their son Yevhenii, and Anna’s mother Tetyana, fled from the ravaged region of Kherson, Ukraine, in April 2022. As the first city overtaken by Russian forces, Kherson was a dangerous place. The family embarked on a perilous journey through Russia, always on edge about the possibility of capture. They eventually managed to cross into Latvia, then Lithuania, and made their way to Poland.

In Poland, their relatives in the U.S. had arranged for them to stay in a small residence in Łódź while they navigated the immigration process through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Uniting for Ukraine program. After several months of dealing with bureaucratic challenges, Dmytro and Tetyana finally reached Miami, Florida, in June 2022, and Anastasiia and Yevhenii joined them the following month. Their extended family welcomed them at the airport and drove them to Burnsville, NC, where they experienced a heartfelt reunion.

Soon after arriving, they received work authorization and began jobs in home construction and cleaning services for Airbnbs and local residences. A year later, they secured a mobile home to rent from Anastasiia’s sister’s mother-in-law, who graciously placed it on her property for them. They enjoyed two years of freedom, gratitude, and happiness. This all ended when the hurricane came and the river swept them away.

Many others also lost their lives and homes in an area lovingly known as “Micaville,” due to the South Toe River’s unprecedented flooding from an extraordinary amount of rain.

My name is Ricky Wiebe, the brother of Ryan Wiebe, who is the husband of Anna and father to Nikoli and Nikita. I was unable to speak with my brother Ryan until today, October 12, 2024, as he has been without cell service and electricity for over two weeks. During our conversation, he was at the funeral home in Burnsville, having to identify two of the four family members who have been missing since the hurricane. They were found more than nine miles from where their house used to be, while two family members are still missing. It seems that mother and daughter were found together, holding each other. Father and son are still missing.

I cannot imagine what Ryan and his family have been through since the hurricane. Ryan described the events that unfolded, and I can’t comprehend the destruction. It’s just too great. This is a river we all grew up playing in; it was everything to us—a source of entertainment and meaning in life. Now, Ryan feels nauseous just thinking about the river. He can’t bring himself to kayak with search and rescue; it’s too traumatic. The river rose over 70 feet in just a few hours, destroying the bridge that connects them to Burnsville. Ryan, his wife, and their two boys had to flee their home and scramble up the hill to higher ground to survive. The water came up so fast they couldn’t grab anything; Ryan didn’t even have shoes on. They fled their home, running up the hill in the rain and hurricane winds to survive. Can you imagine? What he experienced has yet to be processed, and I doubt he ever will, as the amount of water and power was something out of a nightmare. This was not merely a flood; it was an avalanche of water with no end. It kept rising, violently flowing downstream, consuming everything in its path—houses, trailers, trash trucks, and shipping containers. This includes Anna’s sister, Anastasiia Novitnia-Segen, her husband, Dmytro Segen, their son, Yevhenii Segen, and Anna’s mother, Tetyana Novitnia.

I feel helpless and want to support them by putting this GoFundMe together to help with their immediate and future needs. With such devastation, this will be a long road to recovery. I have never done a GoFundMe and had reservations about it, but after speaking to Ryan and seeing photos and videos of the hurricane aftermath, I knew I had to do something. This has the best chance of really helping them and allowing them to move forward after this tragedy.

Ryan’s home is still standing, but the water rose to the second story and ripped through the house downriver. The house and all their belongings are a total loss, pushed out of the home and sent downstream. They also lost their vehicles. Additionally, Ryan cannot work since the farm and golf course where he worked are disaster areas that may never be restored. Despite all this terrible news, Ryan and his family want to rebuild in another location on the land where no water will ever reach them. This is their home and community; they can’t just leave. Please help them continue on and prevent this horrible tragedy from worsening. Please help them rebuild!

Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated by the entire family. Funds will go toward rebuilding their home, funeral arrangements, medical expenses, unemployment during the grieving process, new employment opportunities, and supporting Ryan’s two boys during this recovery period.

Thank you in advance for your contribution. I also appreciate all the friends and family who have reached out for updates. This is the best way we can help Ryan and his surviving family. Please donate any amount you can. Thank you so much.

Love,

Ricky, Jean Margaret, Wave, West, Wednesday, and Wren

Here is a news article about the tragedy from USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/03/ukrainian-refugees-missing-north-carolina-flooding/75478751007/

Photo of the bridge destroyed: