North Carolina first responders exchange vows among chaos in Hurricane Helene aftermath
A first responder couple in North Carolina postponed their wedding plans to help assist with Hurricane Helene disaster recovery and let their love shine in a commitment ceremony amid the chaos.
"Today we were supposed to be in Glacier National Park getting married. While Hurricane Helene took that special day and trip from us, we will reschedule it and legally make it happen later," Rhonda Chislaghi wrote in a post on Facebook.
"But today was our wedding day, and we were not going to spend it apart. We knew if we could do a vow and ring exchange today, we would and, thanks to some special folks, it happened," Chislaghi continued, sharing photos of their special ceremony.
Chislaghi and now-husband Eric Barnwell were supposed to fly out of North Carolina on Sept. 29 for their wedding on Oct. 2, WLOS first reported. Their plans were upended when Hurricane Helene struck and devastated western North Carolina along with several other neighboring states.
Chislaghi is a volunteer first responder for the Henderson County Rescue Squad and her husband is a retired division chief for the Skyland Fire Department, according to WLOS. Both have served as first responders for 30 years.
She told WLOS that once Helene struck, they knew they needed to postpone their wedding and help at home.
"We had too many family and friends, and then the work that was going on with our departments – we knew we weren't going to be able to make that trip happen," Chislaghi told WLOS. "It was heartbreaking, but it's all in the plan; we will reschedule, and we will get there."
Chislaghi told WLOS that she and Barnwell had known each other for "20 years or more" and began their relationship in February, and by July the couple was engaged and had set a wedding date for October.
Chislaghi added that, as a "pretty determined person," she knew in her heart that the two had settled on Oct. 2 and that, regardless, "that was going to be the date."
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She said she was supposed to report to her station for work on Wednesday morning, but when she woke up, she knew she needed to be at Barnwell's station, who had no idea she was coming in.
Barnwell was stationed at Buncombe County, receiving and distributing supplies to those affected by Helene the morning of their ceremony, Chislaghi told WLOS.
She said when she arrived at the station to surprise her fiancé, one of their coworkers offered to make their ceremony dreams a reality.
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"He looked at me, and he said, 'Do you want to get married today? And I said, 'I do,' and he said, ‘I will make that happen,’" Chislaghi recalled. "He went up to another building, came back and said it would happen before the end of the day, and we did."
"We are grateful to be surrounded by such caring, supportive and selfless people in Henderson and Buncombe counties," Chislaghi said.
A worker for Buncombe County Emergency Management and a chaplain came to the station and conducted the ceremony for the couple. Chislaghi said she is so grateful to everyone who supported them and made their day special, but still grieving for everyone affected by Helene.
Chislaghi said that during the beginning of the hurricane and several days after, the things they heard and the people they spoke with were "very traumatic" for first responders.
"There's a lot of folks just pushing through until they have that moment to sit down and break down," Chislaghi said. "These guys and gals, brothers and sisters, they have seen it the past week and a half, and they will not be the same after this."
The couple still has plans to have their wedding at Glacier National Park with hopes of rescheduling their nuptials for the end of October or November.
Hurricane Helene killed at least 232 people as the storm tore through the Southeast. Hundreds more are still unaccounted for from the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Katrina in 2005.
Fox News Digital reached out to the newlyweds but did not immediately receive a response.