It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains from Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina and Sam Perkins still had not heard from his parents.
So, on Saturday morning, he got in his vehicle and started driving toward their home, nestled on a mountain between Spruce Pine and Little Switzerland, to find them.
鈥淢y parents live in an absolute gem of the North Carolina mountains,鈥 Perkins said in a post about his experience. The area is about an hour鈥檚 drive from Asheville. 鈥淯nder normal circumstances, it鈥檚 pleasantly very isolated,鈥 he added.
鈥淟ittle did I know that up there, Helene has demolished roads, homes and utility networks. This area is completely cut off from resources in every direction.鈥
More than 100 people are dead after Helene tore through the southeastern United States, including at least 30 in Buncombe County, where Asheville sits, according to CNN鈥檚 tally. North Carolina was hit hard: Days of unrelenting flooding have turned roads into waterways, left many stranded without basic necessities and strained state resources.
Gov. Roy Cooper called it 鈥渙ne of the worst storms in modern history.鈥 While supplies have been deployed, at least 280 roads are still closed throughout the state, making it hard for officials to get them into areas in need, Cooper said.
When he realized how many roads were cut off, Perkins said he left his vehicle near a closed highway at the bottom of the mountain and started hiking to his parents鈥 home.
鈥淚 tried every road route I could, but the roads, no matter where you go, are blocked by landslides or failures,鈥 Perkins explained to CNN. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you how many failing roads and deep mudslides I had to cross, how many fallen trees I had to take off my backpack for and navigate through.鈥
While hiking, Perkins said he ran into multiple people trapped due to the devastated highway. For more than three-and-half hours, Perkins said he hiked 11 miles and 2,200 feet high to finally reach his parents鈥 home.
鈥淚 have never been so relieved to see anyone OK,鈥 Perkins told CNN, adding his parents are in their 70s, but pretty resourceful people.
鈥淚 just hugged them, cried, filled them in on all the news they were missing鈥 Walked around the property, helped them decide how to approach some challenges.鈥
Perkins found his parents in decent health and their home was mostly fine, but they were effectively trapped, unable to hike down the mountain on foot, he said.
鈥淭hey have food. They are pretty much out of water, but they have enough propane to boil once they start needing to,鈥 Perkins told CNN on Sunday, noting power restoration may take weeks for their area.
After he found his parents on Saturday, fog and rain settled in and Perkins decided to head back down. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to use their supplies, so I went ahead and decided to trek back,鈥 Perkins explained, adding on the way down, he was even able to hitch a ride on an undamaged portion of a road with someone in the community.
And that community is strong, he said: 鈥淓verything you would expect with Southern Hospitality.鈥
His mother was able to a send him a message earlier Sunday, and it mostly focused on trying to get supplies for her neighbors.
鈥淚鈥檓 still processing it all. I鈥檝e never seen anything like it,鈥 Perkins said. 鈥淧ower is a couple weeks out. I cannot fathom how long it will take (the Department of Transportation) to repair the curvy roads that hug the steep mountainsides.鈥
Just east of Buncombe County and the hard-hit city of Asheville lies McDowell County, where over 20 air rescues have been conducted since early Saturday morning, the county鈥檚 emergency management said in a news release Saturday.
The heavy rains caused the Swannanoa River to overflow its banks and flood McDowell and other counties across the region.
Jim and Allie Bourdy had moved into their Beacon Village home, located next to the river, just shy of eight years ago. When the Swannanoa surged and flooded, it destroyed everything they owned.
The couple and their dog were forced to climb onto their neighbor鈥檚 roof for safety, Jim Bourdy told CNN Sunday.
鈥淲e lost literally everything,鈥 Jim Bourdy said. 鈥淲e lost both our cars, and a small utility camper. The life that we built here is gone.鈥
They tried to evacuate Friday evening, but flooding made the roads impassable, Bourdy said. Unable to bypass the flood waters, the couple and their dog, Piper, retreated home to gather supplies and plan their next move.
But soon after, the water started seeping in.
鈥淲e were on our front porch and the water was waist high,鈥 said Bourdy, who by this point had strapped Piper to his back.
As the water continued to rise, the couple knew their only shot at survival was to climb their neighbor鈥檚 roof, which was lower than theirs. They were able to use two Styrofoam exercise boxes as flotation devices to make their way over.
While on the roof, they called 911 but were told that no one could come to rescue them, Bourdy said.
About an hour later, a neighbor came on a kayak and took them one-by-one to higher ground.
鈥淭he moment we reached high ground, I knew that the only two things that matter in my life are my wife and my dog,鈥 Bourdy recalled.
They then went to another neighbor鈥檚 house to dry off and change clothes. That evening, Bourdy said, they spent a night in a shelter. The following morning, they were able to contact a close friend with whom they are now staying.
Bourdy returned to the home on Sunday to see what he could salvage. But besides some cans and camping gear, everything would end up getting tossed out, he said.
鈥淗onestly, literally everything is just gone,鈥 he said. 鈥淸Flood water] was up to the gutters.鈥
Clutching firewood in her hands, Meredith Keisler, a school nurse in Asheville, told CNN: 鈥淲e鈥檙e collecting wood because we have a grill, to make fire, to cook food.鈥
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen anything like this before,鈥 Keisler added, noting she has no water, power or cell service.
It鈥檚 a sentiment echoed by many in the community.
Michelle Coleman, the executive director of a religious outreach organization called Asheville Dream Center, told CNN that she鈥檚 never seen Asheville in this state before.
鈥淭his is the most devastating thing I鈥檝e ever seen in our whole city,鈥 Coleman said. 鈥淥ur prayer is that people are just not losing hope because our community is coming together. Asheville is a strong community.鈥
Gary O鈥橠ell, a disabled Vietnam War veteran, told CNN Sunday was the first day he could leave his East Asheville home due to the debris. But he emphasized: 鈥淭he neighbors have been great. We have a good neighborhood.鈥
He said he鈥檚 been sharing his oxygen tank with a neighbor. 鈥淢y next door neighbor ran out of oxygen, he鈥檚 in worse shape than I am,鈥 O鈥橠ell, who has lung cancer, said. He added his daughter lost her home due to the flooding.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just so many people in worse shape than me and we鈥檙e lucky, we鈥檝e got our home and we鈥檙e dry and safe,鈥 O鈥橠ell added.
Lucy Tavernier, who is part of a group helping clean up said the area 鈥渓ooks like the bottom of a river.鈥
It鈥檚 covered 鈥渋n litter and trees and mud, and it鈥檚 stinky,鈥 she said.
On her front lawn, Tavernier recalled seeing what she believed were materials from a shop she used to visit near her home. She said she believes the place may have washed away in the storm.
CNN鈥檚 Sara Smart, Isabel Rosales, Rafael Romo, Jade Gordon, Sharif Paget, Ashley R. Williams, Raja Razek and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.
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