The latest on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Workers clear a street in Fairview, North Carolina on Sunday.

It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains of Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, and Sam Perkins still hadn't heard from his parents.

So on Saturday morning, he got into his vehicle and drove to her home, which sits on a mountain between Spruce Pine and Little Switzerland, to find her.

“My parents live in an absolute gem in the mountains of North Carolina,” Perkins said in a post about his experience. The area is about an hour's drive from Asheville. “In normal circumstances it is fortunately very isolated,” he added in a post about his experience.

“I didn’t know that Helene had destroyed roads, houses and utility networks up there. This area is completely cut off from resources in all directions.”

According to CNN, at least 93 people died after Helene raced through the southeastern United States. North Carolina has been hit hard: Days of persistent flooding have turned roads into waterways, leaving many without essential supplies and straining state resources.

Gov. Roy Cooper called it “one of the worst storms in modern history.” While relief supplies have been deployed, at least 280 roads across the state are still closed, making it difficult for officials to get them to areas in need, Cooper said.

When he realized how many roads were cut off, Perkins said he parked his vehicle near a closed highway at the base of the mountain and walked to his parents' house.

“I've tried every possible road route, but no matter where you go, the roads are blocked by landslides or failures,” Perkins told CNN. “I can’t tell you how many broken roads and deep mudslides I had to cross, how many fallen trees I had to take off my backpack and walk through.”

While hiking, Perkins said he came across several people trapped due to the destroyed highway. Perkins said he hiked 11 miles and 2,200 feet for more than three and a half hours to finally reach his parents' home.

“I've never been so relieved to see someone doing well,” Perkins told CNN, adding that his parents are in their 70s but are pretty resourceful people.

“I just hugged them, cried, told them all the news they missed…I walked around the property and helped them decide how to approach some challenges.”

Read the full story.