Woman found safe after 24 hours

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A woman missing and feared drowned in floodwaters was rescued near Asheville by a team called in from Gaston and Cleveland counties.

It was something swift water rescuers don't often see. A young mom missing for nearly 24 hours miraculously found.

"To find her was a complete shock to us," said Cleveland County Rescue member David Salter.

Shana Singleton, 28, of Haywood County near Asheville was disoriented and shivering, but alive and safe.

Her young son was overwhelmed when he heard the good news.

"I thought we weren't going to find her," the boy said as he grinned from ear to ear.

"We really were concentrating on more of a recovery-type effort," said Salter.

But against all odds, an eight-member rescue team called in from Cleveland and Gaston counties found Singleton some five miles downstream from where she’d last been seen.

"I can't imagine what the conditions were like for her,” rescue worker Chris McCracken told NewsChannel 36.

"There was still a lot of debris in the water, still a lot of logs, and a lot of rocks to maneuver around. It's just absolutely amazing she made it as far as she did and stayed alive the whole time," he said.

It was a joyful reunion that all involved in the massive search effort will never forget.

"Most of the time it has a sad ending,” said Keith Lowery. “This time was a good ending and that makes it all worth your time."