Hurricane Helene kills family of Ukrainians who fled war to US

As a result of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, a family of Ukrainian citizens who moved to the United States from Kherson to escape the war and occupation died.

According to Ukrinform, USA Today reports.

According to the publication, Anastasiia Novitnia-Segen, her husband Dmytro and their 13-year-old son Yevhen with his grandmother Tatiana left Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion and occupation of Kherson and settled near the South River in western North Carolina.

The family left through the territory of the Russian Federation, managed to cross the border into Latvia, and then entered Poland through Lithuania, where they stayed with a family friend.

The Segen family spent months navigating the bureaucratic maze to obtain permission to enter the United States. In the summer of 2022, the family was accepted into the U.S. humanitarian program for temporary residence for Ukrainian refugees, and they went to live with relatives in Micaville, North Carolina.

At the end of September, the water in the quiet South Tu River rose by almost six meters, turning it into a natural disaster.

A few days after the tragedy, Anastasiia and Dmitry's bodies were found tens of kilometers from their new home. Nothing remained of the house by the river where the family lived. The search for Yevhen and his grandmother Tatiana is still ongoing.

According to USA Today, the number of victims of Hurricane Helene in a number of US states has already reached 228 people, 81 people in North Carolina were reported missing as of October 15.

As reported by Ukrinform, Hurricane Helene hit the southern part of the United States in late September, with 166 deaths reported earlier.

First photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Photo: USA TODAY