A couple from North Carolina lived through Hurricane Helene’s fierce flooding by using their living room couch as a raft, showing how God protected them when floodwaters destroyed their Pensacola home and community.
Life’s toughest moments often reveal God’s presence in amazing ways. During storms that threaten to overwhelm us, our faith gives us strength to hold on and trust in His protection.
This story shows us how God works in powerful ways, even when everything seems lost.
Howard and Lisa Ray faced death when Hurricane Helene hit their area in September. The Category 4 storm first struck Florida’s Big Bend region, then moved through Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, and Tennessee, leaving destruction in its path.
The couple watched in fear as water rushed into their trailer home, but God had a different plan for them.
“The trailer started filling up, and it’s like, it’s like [God] opened a piece up and I just had to sit down on that couch, and we floated out,” Lisa said. Their couch became their lifeline as the raging Cane River carried them along, with water levels rising 25 to 30 feet higher than normal.
Howard held onto Lisa through their terrifying journey. He remembered the moment clearly: “While she was still on the couch, I remember just holding onto her. And I remember her saying, ‘We’re going to drown.’ And I was like, ‘No if we’re going to drown, we’re going to drown together.'”
They floated for 400 yards before Howard told Lisa to jump. She grabbed a barbed wire fence and pulled herself up, even though the sharp wire cut her hand. They found safety in a nearby garage, where they waited for hours until the water went down.
Howard serves as a lieutenant with the Pensacola Volunteer Fire Department. As soon as they reached safety, he went back to help his fellow firefighters. “I walked back to Pensacola to go help my boys because I ain’t leaving my boys no matter how much I’m hurting,” he said, showing his dedication to serving others even after his own ordeal.
God blessed them with joy and tested their faith in the days that followed. Two days after the storm, they found their dog Saddi waiting by their Jeep where their house once stood.
But Lisa’s heart broke when she learned that her friend Michelle Quintero, who worked as a captain with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, died in the floods. Michelle left behind a grandchild and had another grandchild on the way.
The Rays lost their home, cars, and everything they owned, but their trust in God grew stronger. Pleasant Valley Baptist Church stepped in to help, using their Disaster Relief Fund to provide them with an Airbnb for a year.
Lisa knows God saved them for a reason: “We shouldn’t be alive, but God has a purpose.” While she still wonders about His plan, Howard believes their story helps others see God’s power. He said with conviction, “I don’t understand, we shouldn’t be alive, there’s no way, it’s all God.”
Howard’s faith shines through his words: “I know I might have lost everything but that doesn’t mean that I stop and that I’ve got to quit and just give up. That’s not who I am.”
Their story teaches us that God’s protection goes beyond what we can understand or imagine. When storms come into our lives, whether real floods or personal struggles, we can trust that God stays with us through it all.
Let’s pray for the Ray family and their community as they rebuild, and remember to help others who face similar trials through our prayers and support.