ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — As western North Carolina continues to recover from Helene, many of the rescuers who worked nonstop during the storm are getting a chance to reflect on their experiences. Sgt. Brandon Bryson heads the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Swift Water Rescue Team. He's been doing rescue work for 21 years. North Carolina couple returns to Asheville after Helene to find home broken into "This is absolutely is the worst disaster I've ever seen," he said. As the storm hit, conditions kept getting worse. "We had multiple trees on cars. We had one fall on firefighter in front of us. We were able to cut him out. We launched our Zodiac boats on Hwy. 70," Bryson recalled. "There was a landslide. We got a call on Highway 80 in McDowell County, so part of our team went to that landslide ... I think they walked eight and a half miles in the mud, and and then they were able to tie rescue ropes with a pulley system between two trees so they could get a victim across the waters." As flood waters rose, some rescuers even had to swim into people's homes to save them. "We had several people that just had a foot or two of free space in their home. We had a couple of swimmers go in and rescue people off of a dresser, and they were about to be submerged," Bryson said, adding that swimming is generally a last resort for rescuers. Mayor of Chimney Rock provides first-hand look at devastation from Helene The devastation hit close to home for Sgt. Bryson, who lives in Asheville. "Seeing homes, with people I knew the family members, that are gone and rivers that the courses changed, and roads gone, it was just a surreal experience," he explained. Still, in the midst of unforgettable tragedy, he'll remember the bravery and kindness of people looking out for each other. "The most heroic thing I've seen is a neighbor helping a neighbor," Bryson said.