ERWIN, Tenn. (AP) — Jerry and Sibrina Barrett never spent a day apart over 35 years. They worked long hours, never took vacations, and liked to relax with their son at home. They had no idea that a hurricane could reach them in the mountains of East Tennessee.
Living in Johnson City, they were barely aware that Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on September 26. The next day it was raining heavily, so Sibrina went in late to her once-a-week cleaning job at the Impact Plastics factory.
It was the last time they saw each other.
Today, Sibrina Barnett’s clothes are just where she left them, on her side of the bed. Her nail polish and shampoo are still in the bathroom. Her sweater still hangs from the back of a kitchen chair. Jerry knows