One father’s love for his child shone brightly during his arduous journey through areas devastated in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
When David Jones set out on a two-hour drive from South Carolina to Johnson City, Tennessee, for his daughter’s wedding, he was determined to get there, WJHL reported Monday.
His journey ended up being seven hours in his car and over five hours on foot.
Jones crossed the Tennessee state line around 2:00 a.m. and learned the roads were impassable. But his daughter’s wedding was at 11:00 a.m. and he was going to walk her down the aisle, no matter what lay ahead. Therefore, he decided to walk the approximately 30 miles to his destination.
The hurricane that hit Florida on Thursday was deemed a Category 4 storm and was later downgraded as it moved over the southeast United States, Breitbart News reported on Monday. The storm knocked out power, washed bridges away, and stranded people with floodwaters.
Jones had to walk in complete darkness carrying only his cellphone as a light while picking his way around hazards such as mud, huge piles of debris, broken fences, and downed trees.
At one point, he got stuck in mud and was nearly hit by a backhoe as it was clearing a road but managed to escape in time. For extra safety, he carried a reflective stake so cars would avoid hitting him.
Jones eventually got help from a driver he knew who drove him the final few miles to his daughter’s wedding.
An image shows the pair on her wedding day:
“That’s so emotionally moving [to know] that my dad loves me that much, that he’ll come and go through all of that to get to my wedding and be there on time,” said Elizabeth Marquez, who had no idea about her father’s journey until later.
Jones later gave the newlyweds a special gift.
“I brought the reflector to the reception, and I presented it to Elizabeth, my daughter, and Daniel just for them to remember, to be a protector and a good reflection of each other and a reflection of God,” he said.
As cleanup continues, stories have emerged of heroic Americans who have endured the storm. In Tennessee, people living near the Nolichucky River recently cleared a bridge to rescue others trapped by floodwaters, according to Breitbart News.
