'It's just been awful' | Manor woman raises awareness for sister suffering from Hurricane Helene

MANOR, Texas — Hurricane Helene leaving a path of destruction through the southeast has been heart wrenching for Manor native Zana Carbajal to watch unfold. 

“I have not been able to stop crying, it’s just been awful,” Carbajal said. “Awful to see from afar and not feel like you can do anything.”

Carbajal’s sister Jennifer Nielsen is facing widespread damage to their family house in Hendersonville, North Carolina, which is hundreds of miles from where Helene made landfall in Florida, but still saw catastrophic rain and wind.

“So, we have three different trees fall on our house, the largest was a big oak tree and it was the one that went through two of the upstairs bedrooms,” Nielsen said. “As it is now, it’s not livable.”

As Nielsen sees her home left with a gaping hole, it is hard for her to reflect on the loss. 

“To think about it makes me wanna cry, I love my home,” Nielsen said. “It feels very personal to have, like, my favorite spots in my home, to just be like, bang, gone in a second.”

Nielsen’s family began feeling the effects of the storm early Thursday morning into Friday, with no cell reception until Sunday morning. With four kids to take care of and limited access to food, water and gasoline, Carbajal is keeping her sister close to heart. 

“She’s just had like constant trials in life,” Carbajal said. “Her husband’s just been diagnosed with a type of cancer. She got in a car accident and has scarring all over her hand. They’ve had a couple financial problems. Just because of all the stuff that’s been going on in their life, and then to add this on top of it, I think is where I feel from, like a very emotional place and I just feel really bad.” 

Carbajal is now organizing a fundraiser for her sister to help with urgent costs, like tree removal and insurance deductibles. 

“There’s something special about catastrophe, and it’s weird to say that but I think it’s just a reminder that we’re all human and we’re all going through really hard experiences,” Carbajal said. 

Nielsen is touched by the kindness of strangers, hopeful the storm will pass and clear a new path. 

“It’s rough to have to go through these things but I have renewed faith in humanity,” Nielsen said.

Carbajal is hopeful her sister’s family can take refuge in Central Texas, since their children’s school will be closed indefinitely and they do not yet have a date to go back.