Author: Meredith Hemphill
Hurricane Helene was a natural disaster unlike any North Carolina has experienced before. Not only was it a powerful storm, but it primarily impacted the western part of the state, a region of rugged terrain unaccustomed to tropical storms of this size. The State Emergency Response Team, which includes state, local, federal, private sector and non-profit partners, has been responding to this unprecedented event. Read on to learn what the SERT and the Department of Public Safety have been working on in Western NC. This is the first blog of the Hurricane Helene response series.
Even before Hurricane Helene reached North Carolina, SERT Swift Water Rescue and Urban Search and Rescue teams were stationed in Western NC, ready to deploy when called.
“Our North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Teams are at the ready to assist should any landslides or damage to structures occur,” Emergency Management Director Will Ray said in a Sept. 26 press briefing.
The day after Director Ray spoke these words, rescue teams sprang into action as 911 centers were inundated with calls for help. More responders soon joined those already on the ground throughout the course of response efforts, including teams from 39 other states. More than 1,600 responders from other states participated in the efforts, as well as nearly 1,700 responders from FEMA.
NC National Guard and State Highway Patrol, alongside local and out-of-state teams, took part in search and rescue operations. Both ground and air operations were deployed. As of Oct. 21, NCNG reported they had rescued 865 people and 225 pets.
“The largest mission we saw in rescue was 41 people, north of Asheville in Buncombe County,” said Gen. Todd Hunt during a Sept. 29 briefing.
NC Helo-Aquatic Search and Rescue, a partnership between NCNG, SHP and NCEM, deployed on Sept. 28 and made 540 air rescues in just a few weeks, including 196 by hoist. SHP’s Aviation Unit conducted welfare checks and medical evacuations in areas that were inaccessible through other means of transportation. The Aviation Unit flew 55 missions for a total of 161 flight hours during the 19 days they were deployed. Aviation teams are critical in the aftermath of a disaster when roadways are impassable.
“I think it was Saturday or Sunday in the Bell-407 that they had to go pick up a paramedic and deliver them to a cabin to pick up a pregnant lady that was delivering a baby right then and bring them back to the Ingles parking lot in Swannanoa where they had an ambulance waiting,” said Sgt. Richard Collie, the chief pilot for SHP’s Aviation Unit. “I think there were several babies being delivered up there.”
Additional resources were needed to answer the massive number of calls for service. These resources included almost 600 fire personnel and more than 700 EMS technicians, who brought about 100 fire engines and 350 ambulances.
SERT search and rescue operations have resulted in the rescue of 1,646 people and 268 pets. They have also conducted more than 9,167 safety checks.
During the first two weeks of storm response, 56 Alcohol Law Enforcement special agents assisted local and county law enforcement in Burnsville, Bakersfield, Canton, Black Mountain and Spruce Pine with calls for service on top of other assigned response duties.
Throughout the response effort, first responders faced challenges like impassable roads, communications interruptions due to power outages, debris obstacles and other interferences. In the middle of it all, teams banded together to achieve the single mission of saving lives. These teams worked day and night, most of the time on little to no sleep with no time for breaks. In the wake of the storm, the resiliency and courage of not only first response teams, but neighbors helping neighbors, was on display amongst the flooding and devastation in Western NC.
Spotlight
SHP Swift Water Rescue Team
The Patrol ’s Swift Water Rescue Team consists of SHP members who elect to receive additional, specialized training in swift water rescue. Search and rescue in floodwaters is complicated both by rushing water turning everything into a moving target and the water hiding possible dangers and obstacles below the murky surface.
During the Hurricane Helene response, the eight-member Swift Water Rescue Team included Dr. Mariecely Luciano to provide medical assistance to survivors. Dr. Luciano is the assistant medical director for SHP. She is Puerto Rican and fluent in Spanish, assets that proved vital in communicating with Spanish-speaking communities and households during rescue operations.
“She communicated with folks, and she actually broke barriers,” said F/Sgt. Sean Johnson. “Prior to us bringing her down there, some of the folks were refusing to leave, and then after she spoke to them, they agreed to go ahead and pack up their stuff and get out.”
The team deployed on Sept. 26 for seven days, during which they conducted more than 200 rescues and welfare checks. Welfare checks are the process of searching buildings and vehicles for survivors who need help.
“I was really proud of our team for all the rescues that they did, all the evacuations and just the intense missions trying to find survivors,” F/Sgt. Johnson said. “That wasn’t just like going out here and walking on the street. We were going over rugged terrain, climbing over debris piles, looking for people, yelling for survivors and hoping to hear a voice somewhere that we could execute another rescue and save somebody’s life.”