UH-60 and CH-47 aircraft with the 1-111th Florida Army National Guard land in Tallahassee, Florida, for refueling September 27 as they continue search and rescue operations throughout the impacted area after Hurricane Helene. [Courtesy: U.S. National Guard]
Key Takeaways:
National Guard units from across the U.S. have deployed over 5,500 personnel, along with vehicles and aircraft, to North Carolina and 10 other states for Tropical Storm Helene relief, airlifting supplies and rescuing people from flood-ravaged areas.
North Carolina is severely impacted by the storm, with Asheville particularly hard-hit by flooding, communication outages, and reported fatalities, making air transport critical for humanitarian aid.
Civilian nonprofit Operation Airdrop is actively supporting relief efforts, mobilizing approximately 2,000 volunteer pilots and ground crew to transport essential supplies to affected communities in North Carolina.
Operation Airdrop is currently requesting specific donations such as baby formula, hygiene products, non-perishable foods, and cleaning supplies to be flown into regional airports for distribution.
National Guard units from all over the U.S. are heading to North Carolina to assist victims of Tropical Storm Helene.
The North Carolina National Guard said it had deployed more than 200 vehicles and aircraft, “including hoist and emergency aviation assets,” along with more than 500 soldiers and airmen in the state.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
