After 48 hours of silence following the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, Sam Perkins had yet to hear from his parents.
Concerned for their safety, he set out on Saturday morning, driving toward their home, located in the mountainous area between Spruce Pine and Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
“My parents live in a hidden gem of the North Carolina mountains,” Perkins shared in a post about his journey. “Under normal circumstances, it’s peacefully isolated.” However, the aftermath of the hurricane had transformed the area. "Helene demolished roads, homes, and utilities, leaving the area completely cut off from resources," Perkins added.
Helene had wreaked havoc across the southeastern U.S., leaving over 100 people dead, including 30 in Buncombe County, where Asheville is located. North Carolina faced catastrophic flooding, turning roads into rivers, stranding residents, and severely straining state resources. Governor Roy Cooper described the storm as "one of the worst in modern history," with hundreds of roads still closed, complicating relief efforts.
Realizing his route was blocked, Perkins abandoned his vehicle near a closed highway at the base of the mountain and began a grueling hike toward his parents’ home. “Every road I tried was impassable due to landslides or failures,” he explained. “I lost count of how many mudslides I crossed and trees I navigated around.”
During his trek, Perkins encountered others trapped by the impassable highways. Over the course of three and a half hours, he hiked 11 miles and climbed 2,200 feet to reach his parents. “I’ve never been so relieved to see them safe,” he said, noting that his parents, in their 70s, are resourceful but were cut off from any outside help.
Their home, while mostly intact, was isolated, and his parents were unable to leave the mountain. Though they had enough food, they were running low on water. Perkins shared that power restoration might take weeks, but his parents had enough propane to boil water if necessary.
After ensuring his parents were safe, fog and rain began to settle in, prompting Perkins to hike back down the mountain. He chose not to use his parents' limited supplies and, during his descent, managed to hitch a ride with a local on a section of undamaged road. “The community here is resilient,” he said, praising the strong sense of Southern hospitality.
His mother was able to send him a message on Sunday, focused not on their own needs, but on how to get supplies for their neighbors. “I’m still processing everything,” Perkins reflected. “I’ve never seen devastation like this. Power restoration is weeks away, and I can’t imagine how long it will take to repair the winding roads through the mountains.”