GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. — When the Nolichucky River flooded, no one was prepared for the devastation that followed. David Boutin, one of the survivors, described the chaos and terror as floodwaters rushed into his home and swept him away.
"I went back to get my dog and wallet and my cell phone. By that time, the water hit. When I went into the bedroom, it was ankle-deep. Within a minute, it was up to my waist," Boutin said.
Trapped in the river for around 6 hours, Boutin fought to stay alive. He clung to trees, but the relentless floodwaters carried him further downstream each time the trees broke.
"The river just took us, took Buddy from my arms," he said.
Boutin's survival came at a heavy cost. Boone McCrary, a rescuer who risked everything to save others, lost his life in the attempt to save Boutin. McCrary was only 20 feet away from him when tragedy struck.
"I found out the next day that a rescuer lost his life trying to save me," Boutin said.
McCrary was remembered for his compassion and dedication to helping those in need and is now hailed as a hero.
"Everybody told me that he loved taking care of people, trying to help everybody out," Boutin said. "I went to his funeral to pay my respects and to thank him."
Though Boutin survived, the flood claimed nearly everything he owned. His home, the place he had spent years building and improving, was destroyed in a matter of minutes.
"I love this place. It means everything to me. I did everything I could to make this place nice, and within minutes, everything got torn away. A lot of years of work," Boutin said.
Boutin is now rebuilding from nothing and needs all the help he can get. He started an online fundraiser to help gather money to rebuild. It's organized through FreeFunder, a fundraising platform that claims not to take any amount of donations people give to campaigns.