RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) — As Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina last fall, floodwaters swallowed homes, climbed rooftops, and forced desperate families to flee with only the essentials.

In the chaos, many had to make an impossible decision—leaving behind pets they loved as they escaped rising water.

But in the weeks that followed, a small, determined group stepped in to help.

Eric Phelps and his team at Sister Kitten Animal Rescue, a non-profit normally focused on trapping and caring for feral cats, quickly shifted their mission.

“Right after the storm hit, we were getting calls from people whose cats were missing,” Phelps said. “We used the equipment and experience we already had to trap and recover animals that survived the flooding and try to get them back to their peop

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