ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As hundreds of families struggle to contact their loved ones after Hurricane Helene, one family made the trek into Asheville to help their daughter.
The catch: they would be traveling from the coastal town of Wilmington -- 331 miles away, on the other side of the state. Without traffic, the drive takes about five hours and 23 minutes.
"I just went through Charlotte and all the digital signs are showing that all western North Carolina roadways are closed," Leah Bradford said in a TikTok documenting the journey. "But we need to get her."
Bradford says the family was supposed to help her stepdaughter move out of her Asheville apartment to a new home in Raleigh that weekend, but the storm made that impossible.
They decided to make the trip anyway, knowing their daughter was without much access to water or power.
"It was really kind of surreal," Bradford says. "We just were determined to get there to her, because without her having cellular service and not being able to contact her, it was a little unnerving."
Though her stepdaughter's apartment remained intact, Bradford recounted the devastation around Asheville.
"Oh my gosh. It was horrible," Bradford said. "There was an RV park that was completely underwater. It was just just nothing but water. It was just devastating."
Her stepdaughter is safe and with family in Raleigh, but she knows other families aren't as lucky.
"My heart just goes out to them, because the unknown is just terrible," Bradford said. "You just don't know, and your mind goes so many places."
Tiktoks that Bradford has made documenting the journey have gained nearly 300,000 views as of Wednesday evening. She's now encouraging people to donate. You can find a comprehensive list of ways to help here.
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.