Hurricane Helene has been called one of the worst storms in modern history, with at least 160 people dead and many more missing as of Tuesday evening. It destroyed homes and businesses, tore up roads and caused heavy floods that swept cars away like children’s toys.
The storm was also a galvanizing event for the U.S. helicopter community, which rushed out to deliver water, diapers and other critical supplies in areas other vehicles couldn’t reach.
On Monday, pilots from the volunteer group Operation Airdrop flew a reported 37 private helicopters to shore up relief and rescue efforts in North Carolina’s high country.
“We just kind of organized a private helicopter army to go in and survey the damage and extract people and take supplies and create landing zones,” said volunteer pilot Matt McSwain in an interview with WCNC Charlotte.
“We’ve had people from Texas to Maine, all the way to the East Coast just show up and [say], ‘How do we help?’ ”
