The haunting last photo shows the grandparents' desperate attempt to escape the Helene flood

A chilling photo shows an elderly couple confronting the apocalyptic devastation of Hurricane Helene from the roof of their home in Asheville, North Carolina, just before it is inundated by rising tides.

The haunting image is the last taken by Nora and Michael Drye, grandparents each aged 73, before the roof collapsed and they both drowned along with their seven-year-old grandson Micah.

Her adult daughter, Megan, who took the picture, survived after becoming trapped in a chunk of rubble, although she remains in intensive care.

Her other daughter, Jessica Drye Turner, who shared the shocking photo on Facebook, had pleaded in an earlier post for someone to rescue her stranded family members as she sat helpless across the country in Texas. But the rescue workers didn't make it in time.

Helene cut a path of destruction across the South this weekend, from Florida to North Carolina, leaving a death toll that already exceeds 130.

Turner found himself tragically suffering the loss of loved ones in western North Carolina, a region whose towns – like Asheville – are often located in valleys and therefore particularly vulnerable to flooding.

“You watch 18-wheelers and cars go by. Also, part of the house they are sitting on is in front of them,” Turner posted before the house collapsed. “They called 911, but they are not the only ones who need saving. This is definitely a moment where faith is all you have.”

She posted an update Monday announcing the deaths in her family.

“I cannot express in words the sadness, heartache and devastation my sisters and I are going through, nor can I imagine the pain that lies ahead,” she wrote. “Please lift up in prayer my sister who lost her son, my other sister and myself as we come together to somehow comfort her and get through each moment together.”

She was particularly affected by the loss of her young nephew, whose body was found a quarter of a mile from the destroyed house.

“That was and is a heartbreaking moment. First time I heard that,” Turner wrote. “He was such a perfect little boy. He wanted to be a superhero. And now he is.”

Michael Drye was an attorney and mediator specializing in family law for over 30 years and was named the 2022 Asheville Family Law Attorney of the Year.

According to his website, Michael grew up on a farm near Charlotte and met Nora while in college. The two married in 1973.

His bio on the website also highlights his pride in his three daughters, “all of whom are grown and have successful careers and ventures.”

A GoFundMe page has so far raised over $70,000 to help the Drye family.

Rescue workers continue to search for up to 600 missing people in the regions affected by the storm.

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