September 30, 2024
This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaking about the impact of Hurricane Helene.
Why It Matters: Historic flooding in the wake of Hurricane Helene has left devastation across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia and Tennessee, with the number of killed or missing remaining TBD. As of Monday morning, over 2 million customers remained without power, according to poweroutage.us.
“More than 5,500 National Guardsmen from 11 states continue to support Hurricane Helene response missions,” according to the National Guard. With some people stranded without water or power, including cell service, neighbors have turned to help each other, including Appalachian farmer James Water: “My son got to go out and learn about helping the neighbors. He’s like, ‘Where are we going?’ We’re going to check on the neighbors. That’s what we do. These are good lessons.”
As federal and state agencies like the National Guard are coming to help, some private citizens are assisting in unique ways. Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle is just one of the private citizens using his own helicopter to aid in rescue and relief efforts in western North Carolina. This weekend, he began posting several videos to his social media channels documenting the destruction, saying, “this is so much worse than I thought.”
Read More: Supplies arrive by plane and mule to North Carolina as Helene death toll tops 100 (AP)
Image Credit: North Carolina National Guard
by Stephanie Wagner, based in Florida
