Current:Home > MarketsSon treks 11 miles through Hurricane Helene devastation to check on North Carolina parents -Secure Horizon Growth
Son treks 11 miles through Hurricane Helene devastation to check on North Carolina parents
View
Date:2025-04-17 11:18:58
Sam Perkins only had one thing on his mind when he decided to trek through the utter devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina: make sure his parents were safe.
Perkins was “drowning in worry” because he hadn’t heard from his parents in 48 hours following the storm’s historic landfall in Florida and other regions across the Southeast. By Saturday, he couldn't wait any longer.
Perkins had to hike 11 miles with 2,200 feet of elevation gain to reach his mom and dad's home in the mountains, which is usually “pleasantly very isolated,” Perkins shared in a Facebook post.
The “absolute gem” of a home, according to Perkins, is nestled between an unincorporated community and a couple of towns halfway between Asheville and Boone.
“Little did I know that up there, Helene has demolished roads, homes and utility networks,” according to Perkins. “This area is completely cut off from resources in every direction.”
After weaving his way across failing roads, deep mudslides and fallen trees, Perkins found that his parents were “thankfully OK but surrounded by devastation.”
“I have never been so relieved to see anyone OK,” Perkins wrote on Sunday.
On the ground:How flood damage is cutting off North Carolina communities from emergency relief
'Know that crews are chipping away,' Perkins says
Perkins came across multiple people, just like his parents, who were “trapped by devastation” on both sides of the highway.
“In this part of the mountains with steep terrain rolling off the Blue Ridge Parkway, not only did water rise, it RAGED to tear up roads, earth and homes,” Perkins wrote. “Then, the winds (I'm certain tornados in some places) have brought down up to half the tree canopy.”
He said he was trying to “process” all that he saw on his journey.
“I've never seen anything like it," he said. "Power is a couple weeks out. I cannot fathom how long it will take ... to repair the curvy roads that hug steep mountainsides with the most amazing views."
All Perkins wants now is for his parents to have the “same basic needs they always provided me − food, water, shelter (house is mostly OK) and the ability to explore! But they can't even leave their home right now.”
Perkins “feels for” everyone who is stuck in the mountains or has family that can't get out.
“It's just a waiting game now … Know that crews are chipping away,” Perkins wrote.
Resources, help available after Hurricane Helene devastates Southeast
President Joe Biden plans to visit the affected regions in the coming days, heading to North Carolina first to take an aerial tour of the damaged areas before making his way to Florida and then Georgia.
Over a million people were without electricity, hundreds of others were still missing and 100 people were confirmed dead on Monday, days Helene made its devastating landfall in the Southeast. The total damage and economic loss caused by Hurricane Helene is expected to range somewhere $145 billion and $160 billion.
Multiple federal and state agencies have deployed resources and assistance to multiple communities across the Southeast in the last few days, providing food, water, medical care, communication equipment and emergency response services and personnel.
Resources, according to Biden, will be available "as long as it takes to finish this job."
"We'll continue to serve resources including food, water, communications, and lifesaving equipment will be there," he said Monday.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- A US delegation to meet with Mexican government for talks on the surge of migrants at border
- German police say they are holding a man in connection with a threat to Cologne Cathedral
- 2023 in Climate News
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Over $1 million in beauty products seized during California raid, woman arrested: Reports
- Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde's Kids Steal the Show While Crashing His ESPN Interview
- 'Ferrari' is a stylish study of a flawed man
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Taylor Swift called Travis Kelce's 'wife' by Tony Romo; singer comforts Brittany Mahomes
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million
- Latest MLB rumors on Bellinger, Snell and more free agent and trade updates
- Turkey hits 70 sites linked to Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for soldiers’ deaths
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Houston Texans claim oft-suspended safety Kareem Jackson off waivers
- Almcoin Trading Center: The Development Prospects of the North American Cryptocurrency Market
- Want to run faster? It comes down to technique, strength and practice.
Recommendation
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
The year in clean energy: Wind, solar and batteries grow despite economic challenges
Horoscopes Today, December 24, 2023
Purdue still No. 1, while Florida Atlantic rises in USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Shannen Doherty Says Goodbye to Turbulent Year While Looking Ahead to 2024
Almcoin Trading Center: STO Token Issuance Model Prevails in 2024
Drone fired from Iran strikes tanker off India's coast, Pentagon says