Interview with Allie and Jim Bourdy
Dublin Core
Title
Interview with Allie and Jim Bourdy
Description
Jim and Allie Bourdy were interviewed by Buncombe County Special Collections Librarian Carissa Pfeiffer on May 5, 2025. This interview took place at Pack Memorial Library and was conducted as part of the Come Hell or High Water Oral History Project for Buncombe County Special Collections, Pack Memorial Library.
The Bourdys share their experience of the catastrophic flooding that destroyed their historic 1927 home in Beacon Village, Swannanoa. They relate preparing for the storm [00:17:03], evacuating to a neighbor’s roof as waters rapidly rose inside their home [00:24:43], being rescued by a kayaker [00:48:20], seeking shelter and spending the night at the WNC Agricultural Center [00:58:55], and accessing resources in the days and weeks following the storm [01:18:14]. They also describe ongoing emotional trauma [01:25:56], personal and professional impacts from the vantage point of seven months since the flood [01:33:47], and pride in the resilience of their Swannanoa community [02:02:03].
Narrator portrait depicts Jim and Allie inside their home under reconstruction, May 22, 2025. Additional photographs taken June 1, 2025 depict two side views of the Bourdy home showing neighboring house roof with flotation devices used by Jim and Allie; salvaged bricks to be used in reconstruction; front side view of Bourdy home showing neighboring house roof (on left) with flotation devices; rear view of the Bourdy home nearing reconstruction showing neighboring homes; rear three-quarter view of Bourdy home nearing reconstruction; front view of the home; rear view showing neighboring house on right where they climbed on to the roof; and rear view of the Bourdy home showing the size of the backyard relative to the house. All photos by Bill Green.
The Bourdys share their experience of the catastrophic flooding that destroyed their historic 1927 home in Beacon Village, Swannanoa. They relate preparing for the storm [00:17:03], evacuating to a neighbor’s roof as waters rapidly rose inside their home [00:24:43], being rescued by a kayaker [00:48:20], seeking shelter and spending the night at the WNC Agricultural Center [00:58:55], and accessing resources in the days and weeks following the storm [01:18:14]. They also describe ongoing emotional trauma [01:25:56], personal and professional impacts from the vantage point of seven months since the flood [01:33:47], and pride in the resilience of their Swannanoa community [02:02:03].
Narrator portrait depicts Jim and Allie inside their home under reconstruction, May 22, 2025. Additional photographs taken June 1, 2025 depict two side views of the Bourdy home showing neighboring house roof with flotation devices used by Jim and Allie; salvaged bricks to be used in reconstruction; front side view of Bourdy home showing neighboring house roof (on left) with flotation devices; rear view of the Bourdy home nearing reconstruction showing neighboring homes; rear three-quarter view of Bourdy home nearing reconstruction; front view of the home; rear view showing neighboring house on right where they climbed on to the roof; and rear view of the Bourdy home showing the size of the backyard relative to the house. All photos by Bill Green.
Rights
Interview copyright Jim & Allie Bourdy and Buncombe County Special Collections. Photos copyright Bill Green Photography.
Format
Language
English
Identifier
MS456.001G
Extent
1 digital audio recording (02:05:20); 1 transcript (66 pages); 11 digital photographs
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Duration
02:05:20
Interviewer
Carissa Pfeiffer
Interviewee
Jim Bourdy
Allie Bourdy
Collection
Tags
Citation
Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections, “Interview with Allie and Jim Bourdy,” Come Hell or High Water Community Memory Project, accessed January 13, 2026, https://helenehistory.omeka.net/items/show/1106.