A North Carolina man hiked 11 miles / 17.7km up a mountain to check on his parents in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Charlotte resident Sam Perkins hadn’t heard from his parents, both in their 70s, after the devastating hurricane ripped through the mountainous region where they live last week. Fearing for their safety, Perkins set out to drive to their remote home but was stopped some 30 miles / 48km away by state troopers.
“I basically got to a spot where troopers were blocking getting up the mountain, and they said, you can walk,” Perkins told CBS. “I love my parents so much and I just had to know that they were ok.”
Wracked with worry and determined to check on his parents, Perkins stocked a bag with supplies and set out on the treacherous hike. Carrying food, water and a power bank, he traversed mud slides, fallen trees and scattered debris.
“The higher up you went, it got worse and worse, just constant trees down, it was like an obstacle course," he continued.
Alongside a few hitch hikes, Perkins hiked for three and a half hours, gaining 2,200ft / 670m in elevation before making it to his parents' driveway where Perkins found his father in their front drive.
“I have never been so relieved to see anyone ok,” he told CNN. “I just hugged them, cried, filled them in on all the news they were missing.
“They have food. They’re pretty much out of water but they have enough propane to boil once they start needing to.”
After ensuring his parents safety, Perkins headed back down the mountain so as not to waste their supplies.
Coming ashore on September 26, Hurricane Helene ripped through the American southeast, claiming over 200 lives on it's five-day rampage. Causing an estimated $30 billion in damage, Helene wiped out homes, businesses and entire communities.
Bearing the brunt of the storm, North Carolina was hit by over 10 in / 25cm of rainfall in just two days and wind speeds of up to 70 miles per hour / 113 kph. With recovery efforts in their infancy, thousands of North Carolinians remain displaced.
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