Twelve Maryland Army National Guard soldiers performed more than a dozen missions in storm-ravaged North Carolina over the weekend, including rescuing 70 people and 16 dogs who were affected by Hurricane Helene.
Gov. Wes Moore approved the deployment last week. At least 121 deaths across the Southeast have been attributed to the storm, according to the Associated Press.
Maj. Ben Hughes, a spokesperson for the Guard, said the Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Response Team ran eight missions over the weekend in its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, rescuing 50 people and 10 dogs.
Soldiers in a CH-47F Chinook helicopter ran six missions, Hughes said in an email, moving 75 first responders, rescuing 20 people and six dogs, and transporting about 64,000 pounds of cargo, food and water on Saturday and Sunday.
People in Western North Carolina, including the city of Asheville, are contending with washed-out roads and a lack of electricity and cellular service. Officials and aid groups are working to bring supplies to isolated areas by air, trucks and in some cases mules, according to the AP.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would rise as the emergency response continues.
There are 10 federal search and rescue teams on the ground in North Carolina, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. President Joe Biden directed FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to remain on the ground in North Carolina “until the situation has stabilized.”
FEMA has also deployed trailer loads of food and water, and a C-17 cargo plane full of food and water, to Asheville. There are 29 shelters open in that part of the state, with more than 1,000 occupants, FEMA said.
