One Kentucky mom has broken her silence on the catastrophic floods that recently wreaked havoc on the eastern part of the state during an appearance with CNN’s Ana Cabrera, where she told the absolutely gut-wrenching story of tying herself to her children with a vacuum cord in an effort to save them — but, if her plan failed, at least their bodies would be found together among the tragic chaos.
On today’s episode of CNN Newsroom, Cabrera spoke with Jessica Willett, a mother of two from Jackson, Kentucky, in the aftermath of the catastrophic floods that wreaked havoc through Eastern Kentucky last week. Currently, the flooding has claimed the lives of at least 35 people, including four young siblings who were ripped from their mother’s arms by the overwhelming currents. Countless others are still reported missing as multiple homes and bridges remain utterly destroyed across the area.
Heartbreaking: The 4 siblings from Knott County, KY who died in last week’s flooding – Top left: Madison (8), bottom left: Nevaeh (4), top right: Riley (6), and bottom right: Chance (2). Reporting by CNN’s Sara Smart and Caroll Alvarado pic.twitter.com/Uest2yK3qp
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 1, 2022
Cabrera introduced Willett directly following the heartbreaking report on the Knott Country siblings from her colleague, CNN correspondent Evan McMorris Santoro. Cabrera reported that Willett had heard sounds coming from the foundation of her home around midnight on Wednesday of last week, as the flooding ravaged its way through Eastern KY. Cabrera followed her reporting with a video clip that Willett had taken at the time of the horrifyingly strong waters whipping past her house. It was only 10 minutes after taking that video that Willett’s home was completely swept away in the catastrophic flood.
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The KY mother told the CNN host that the raging water was already at her door when she opened it, leaving her “no warning.”
Thankfully, Willett and her two children, ages 3 and 11, managed to survive the catastrophic, deadly flood.
“The first thing that went through my mind is that I didn’t know if we would be swept away or not,” Willett explained, “and I’ve got to try and save my kids. So I grabbed two bathrobe ties and I tied them together and that wasn’t long enough so I cut the cord off the vacuum cleaner and tied us all three together.”
The KY mother of two got a little choked up, understandably, as she spoke of the most harrowing part of her story, explaining, “Because I thought I could try to save us or, you know, if we didn’t make it, then we could be found altogether.”
The CNN host responded, “As a mother, I can’t imagine having to think like that. What made you think, though, to cut the cord to your vacuum?”
“I don’t know,” Willett answered before stating that she had “nothing else” and the vacuum cord was “the closest thing I could get to a rope.”
Willett went on to describe huddling close to her children in the living room of their home for as long as they could, but “the water was coming in.” The family ultimately moved to her daughter’s bedroom, where they sat atop the child’s mattress as they listened to their home “popping and cracking” all around them.
The KY mom said she thought the house was “going to rip apart,” leaving her to hope beyond hope that she and her children could cling to the mattress and “make it out okay.”
“Luckily,” Willett went on to explain, the house managed to get “sandwiched between a tree stump and the hillside, and that basically sandwiched us together and kept it from being completely ripped apart.”
Ultimately, the family’s home was ripped from its very foundation and carried “about 100 feet or so” down the road, leaving Willett to worry about a potential mudslide, prompting her to open a window and climb up to the roadway that was overtaken by raging water.
As the interview came to a close, the CNN host made mention of a GoFundMe that was set up by Willett for her family, as she said she had insurance, but not flood insurance, because their home wasn’t in a flood zone.
“I know that you are asking for any bit of help, including prayers…I sure hope that people come to help your family and show the generosity that I know exists and, please, you know, keep in touch with us and we will do what we can also to lift you and your family up,” Cabrera told viewers.
You can watch the heart-breaking interview from CNN here.
Featured image via screen capture
