NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Relief and joy are just two of the many emotions Julie Everhart felt this evening.
She went over 24 hours without speaking to her daughter Jozi Renken who attends UNC Asheville.
Recently, she learned her daughter is safe.
"It was really scary as a mom to not to know if the building she was in was safe or if it was flooded," Everhart shared.
She last heard from the 19-year-old on Friday around noon, when she learned her daughter had no power or internet. Everhart said her daughter can't drive, she almost took things into her own hands to ensure her safety.
"My thought being a mom, I'm just gonna drive there. I just want to pack up the car and get as close to her as I can. So when the roads do open, I'll be closer and I can go get her," Everhart said.
Around 3:30 this afternoon Everhart got a text from Jozi saying she was okay, but things got really bad.
"She said they had to wait four hours in line for gas before they could even leave... she saw flooding cars all the way underwater," Everhart recalled.
Jozi was able to hitch a ride back home with a few students. Everhart is thankful her daughter is safe.
In Greensboro, the community pitched in to help a mother and father of an Appalachian State University student provide food and water to students and families in need.
"I reached out this morning on Facebook to meet at our church which is Alamance Presbyterian Church. We asked our community to please donate water," Barbara Reece said, "We will be leaving tomorrow for Boone. We are taking water and snacks, we have a friend with Triad Meat in Greensboro and they are making barbecue sandwiches. We hope to help anybody in need at Appalachian."
In just five hours they collected about 250 cases of water. An act of kindness at a time when the community is in need.
"We are praying for all the people, not just in Boone, NC but all throughout the many states that have had hurricane devastation," Reece shared.
Both families are expected to reunite with their daughters tomorrow.