Veteran Saves Muddied American Flag from Asheville Ruins: ‘I Saw It as a Sign’
In Asheville, North Carolina, local resident Destiny Garcia made an uplifting discovery while cleaning up debris from Hurricane Helene: an American flag caked in mud. A military veteran, Garcia felt compelled to rescue the flag, as she believed it symbolized respect and hope amid the devastation. Despite the chaos in the region, including looting and resource scarcity—such as price gouging for gasoline—Garcia’s find represented resilience and optimism for the community’s recovery. Garcia planned to wash and display the flag, seeing it as a sign that they would overcome the challenges posed by the hurricane. Her story reflects the spirit of endurance and hope shared by many residents returning to the affected area.
An encouraging discovery was made amid the wreckage of Asheville, North Carolina, during cleanup of Hurricane Helene’s destruction.
The find was made by local resident Destiny Garcia, who was searching flood debris on Sunday. While looking through the wreckage, she spotted a red, white and blue bit of cloth caked in mud.
She knew it couldn’t be left on the ground.
“I just picked it up,” Garcia said.
Video from AccuWeather showed Garcia navigating the downed trees and debris that are now covering much of the region. She said leaving the flag on the ground wasn’t an option.
“I’m military, so, you know, flags aren’t supposed to touch the ground,” Garcia said.
“I mean, there’s everything everywhere. People are looting and stuff, and I just figured just to pick this up.”
Multiple arrests have already been made for alleged looting across the areas devastated by the hurricane. Authorities are posting guards around existing caches of water, food and fuel.
The local scarcity of resources is causing serious problems for rescuers and victims alike.
Looters are not the only people capitalizing on the American disaster. At least one gas station has been accused of illegally charging $10 per gallon of gasoline, alleged price gouging that violates state law and an emergency order.
For Garcia, and many other Americans, the flag itself is worth so much more than the piece of fabric it’s made from.
“I’m going to go home and wash it and probably hang it up on my porch or something,” she said.
Garcia felt the discovery of the flag amid the rubble was a sign for the future of the region.
“I guess I saw this as a sign of like, we’re going to get through this,” she said. “It might take a few months to recover, but, you know, there’s hope.
“At the end of the day, you just got to have faith and just wait it out.”
Watch the full video of Garcia and the flag she found below.
“I saw this as a sign of, like, we’re going to get through this.” A North Carolina resident found an American flag amidst flooding debris in Asheville, North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/VZYPLrBTay
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 1, 2024
As Americans return to the devastated region, Garcia’s story is only one of countless others detailing the triumphs, tragedies and endurance of our country.
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