Sam Perkins would walk to the ends of the Earth for his parents, and over the weekend he almost did.
On Saturday morning, Perkins, 38, set out on a dangerous journey, traveling 11 perilous miles to make sure they were safe at their home in the North Carolina mountains.
The couple was trapped in the isolated city of Asheville, ground zero for Hurricane Helene, where 30 of the hurricane’s 121 deaths occurred.
So dire is the situation in Asheville now that survivors say the bodies are “stuck in the trees.”
Perkins, determined to save his parents, told DailyMail.com he didn’t think twice before making the trip.
“I did this because I have parents who have been amazing to me,” she told DailyMail.com.
Hurricane Helene had just devastated the western part of the state and she hadn’t heard from her parents for 48 hours.
Sam Perkins would walk to the ends of the Earth for his parents
On Saturday morning, Perkins, 38, set out on a dangerous journey, traveling 11 perilous miles to see them in the mountains of North Carolina, where they live.
“I was doing the math in my head,” Perkins said. “If they needed medical attention, if they needed water, I had to get to them quickly.” His parents, although resourceful, are in their 70s.
“I was doing the math in my head,” Perkins said. “If they needed medical attention, if they needed water, I had to get to them quickly.”
His parents, although resourceful, are in their 70s.
With the clock ticking, Perkins got into his car and began driving toward his home, which is hidden on a mountain between Spruce Pine and Little Switzerland.
“My parents live in a true gem in the mountains of North Carolina,” he wrote on Facebook. «Under normal circumstances, it is nice to be very isolated.
‘I didn’t know that up there Helene has demolished roads, houses and public service networks. This area is completely isolated from resources in all directions.
In North Carolina, Helene’s brutal devastation has left more than 100 dead. In Buncombe County, home to Ashville, at least 30 people died
Perkins attempted to drive several routes to reach his parents, but soon discovered that the roads were “inaccessible to vehicles.”
“I did this because I have parents who have been amazing to me,” Perkins told DailyMail.com.
In North Carolina, Helene’s brutal devastation has left more than 100 dead. In Buncombe County, where Ashville is located, at least 30 people died.
The storm caused massive destruction, flooding roads and reducing buildings and homes to ruins.
According to Governor Roy Cooper, a minimum of 280 roads are closed across the state.
Perkins attempted to drive several routes to reach his parents, but soon discovered that the roads were “inaccessible to vehicles.”
At the foot of the mountain, he abandoned his vehicle and began the rest of the 11-mile trip on foot.
At the foot of the mountain he abandoned his vehicle and began the rest of the 11-mile journey on foot.
During his walk, Perkins found places he described to DailyMail.com as “very post-apocalyptic.”
During his walk, Perkins found places he described to DailyMail.com as “very post-apocalyptic.”
He said high winds and possibly tornadoes had “demolished dirt, roads and trees.”
Perkins described the destruction as “constant.” He said that “for miles, there were downed trees, landslides and collapsed roads.”
As he climbed the mountain, the devastation “got worse.”
He encountered severely injured people living on the mountainside doing their best to remove fallen branches and trees with chainsaws.
Perkins described the destruction as “constant.” He said that “for miles, there were downed trees, landslides and collapsed roads.”
To reach his parents’ house, he walked 2,200 treacherous feet
Perkins noted that they would have to take “a journey” to return to civilization.
To get to his parents’ house, he walked 2,200 treacherous feet.
“I’m a good hiker and it was difficult for me.”
But when he finally arrived at his parents’ house, he saw something that brought him immediate relief.
“I’m a good hiker and it was difficult for me,” Perkins said of his trip.
“I walked to his property,” Perkins told DailyMail.com. ‘And I ran into my dad among the fallen trees and felt the greatest relief of my life.
“I hugged him, played and went into the house and did the same with my mom.”
His parents were fine. They had enough food, and although they were almost out of water, they had enough propane to do some boiling.
He also learned that his parents were trapped.
The area, which had always been isolated, was now “truly an island.”
There were also “very few places” where phone or Internet service was available.
“I walked to his property,” Perkins told DailyMail.com. ‘And I ran into my dad among the fallen trees and I felt the greatest relief of my life’
“At some point, people are going to run out of supplies,” Perkins said. She added that medication and baby formula were “very necessary.”
Fortunately, Perkins’ parents live in “a close neighborhood,” where residents help each other stay supplied.
But this spirit of solidarity was not limited to his parents’ neighborhood. During his hike up the mountain, Perkins encountered chainsaw crews from Florida, Indiana and other states affected by Hurricane Helene.
“Everyone had come to help.”