Father travels hundreds of miles to help pregnant daughter in city devastated by Helene

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (CNN) – A soon-to-be grandfather traveled hundreds of miles to bring his daughter and her family supplies after the city of Asheville, North Carolina, was devastated by Hurricane Helene.

For Sarah Timko, a freshly brewed cup of coffee is a luxury made possible by the love of her father, Dave Timko. She lives in Asheville and is among the hundreds of thousands of residents left without power due to the havoc wreaked by Helene.

“I asked my daughter, ‘Are you OK?’” Dave Timko said. “And she sent me back these horrifying pictures. It looked like Armageddon.”

Sarah Timko is expecting her first child, with her baby boy due in eight weeks. So, her father decided to travel hundreds of miles to come to the rescue, bringing food, water, gas and other supplies.

“Buildings down, houses washed away?” Dave Timko said. “‘Oh my God, my daughter’s in the middle of this, and she’s seven-and-a-half months pregnant.’”

Most people in the areas of western North Carolina devastated by the storm have no power and water. Emergency crews say they’re overwhelmed, not only by the amount of people in need of help but also because they are unable to reach many of them due to broken bridges and destroyed roads.

Sarah Timko says she was not prepared for this kind of unexpected disaster, so she’s grateful to her father for bringing supplies.

“That’s my dad,” she said. “That’s him. He’s always there for me.”

The death toll from Helene has reached at least 133 across the U.S. Southeast, at least 40 of those deaths from the North Carolina county that includes Asheville, The Associated Press reports. The toll is expected to rise further in the coming days.

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