GREENWOOD — Tucked amid the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies destruction, isolation and need in the wake of last month’s Hurricane Helene.
It’s a scene that Dalton Sanger, a mechanic with Greenwood-based Chorman Spraying, and Scott Hamilton, a Chorman pilot and manager, witnessed, both on the ground and from the air.
On Sept. 29, Mr. Sanger and Mr. Hamilton lifted off in Chorman’s Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter, bound for western North Carolina and a massive private relief effort for victims of flooding and mudslides spawned by Helene.
“Every single valley that we fly down is, at some point, a drain field for the rainwater coming from the top of the mountain. Every single valley that you see is devastated,” explained Mr. Hamilton, of Salisbury, Maryland. “It is unrecognizable what used to be there. To see thousands of homes that are ripped from their foundations and are just gone — I can’t even find the word. It is absolutely, utterly devastating.”
Mr. Sanger, of Hartly, compared the area to a war zone. “You see an RV or a camper speared into the side of a church,” he said. “It is a disaster. Those people ... didn’t even see it coming. They are stranded.”
The duo’s four-day mission concluded Oct. 2. They headed home the next day.
While in North Carolina, their camping base was the grounds of Harley-Davidson of Asheville, a business in Swannanoa that had been severely damaged by floodwaters.
Their effort was spearheaded by Savage Freedoms Relief Corp. and included missions like hauling equipment to restore power to a local grocery store; delivering generators, fuel and propane; and dropping medication, especially insulin, to those in dire need, Mr. Sanger said.
Residents there are dealing with immense heartbreak, the men reported.
“They have lost everything. We talked to a family, ... her house was at the bottom of the creek bed. It’s completely destroyed,” Mr. Hamilton said. “Her grandfather was in a vehicle that was swept down in the current. Two individuals that went to rescue her grandfather both drowned in the rescue attempt, but her grandfather was saved. Two houses down are completely gone. Two families perished.
“These folks don’t have a lot of hope. But, when they see us land on the ground, total strangers, … they’ve got smiles on their faces. They are energetic. They are very humble. They even ask if there is anything that we need,” he continued. “We have hope in them, and that is giving them hope.”
Mr. Sanger added that their operation was “constantly beating that need for evacuation” after Helene passed.
Mr. Hamilton agreed, saying, “The effort of this group has been directly responsible for people not needing to be evacuated because we are allocating the right sources to the right people at the right time, which, in turn, has prevented people from fleeing their homes.”
Savage Freedoms has support from SpaceX, which expedited a call for generators, and Tesla, which provided mobile solar units to power dwellings that are habitable. Professionals of all sorts — welders, veterinarians, doctors, pilots, air traffic controllers and mental health counselors — are all taking part.
“You name it, they’ve got it,” Mr. Hamilton said. “No one here is concerned with any political affiliation. It’s ‘Hey, we have to get a job done.’”
On the ground, volunteers with chain saws are clearing roads. Others are building streets, doing cadaver work or searching for bodies. There is also collaboration with local and state police, the National Guard, fire departments and other first responders.
Further, there have been hay drops for livestock and pallets of dog food because “it’s not just about the people,” Mr. Sanger said.
Many of those assisting with Savage Freedoms have military backgrounds, including the Chorman employees, who both served in the Air National Guard.
“For Dalton and I to do this, it is an honor,” said Mr. Hamilton, who flew Blackhawk helicopters for the Guard. “It is, by far, we think — and obviously, we are biased — the best operation that is going on down here. This team is so prepared, they already started relocating assets down to Florida,” in response to Hurricane Milton, which affected that state Wednesday into Thursday.
Mr. Hamilton also noted that the Federal Aviation Administration tracks the air activity in the area. Additionally, the agency designated Harley-Davidson of Asheville an official landing zone and assigned it a radio frequency.
“These folks down here are doing God’s work. It is very spiritual. We pray every night. We have a chaplain from the North Carolina (State) Highway Patrol that is praying with us,” Mr. Sanger said.
The two added that they are grateful for the chance to assist North Carolinians.
“Jeff Chorman and I went to high school together. We’ve been friends for almost 30 years,” Mr. Hamilton said. “I kind of told Jeff, ‘I’m stealing your helicopter this week, and you can’t say no.’
“I’ve got to give credit to Jeff and Molly Chorman and Chorman Spraying for allowing us the opportunity to come down. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Jeff Chorman.”
Meanwhile, another local pilot also visited Asheville the week before the Chorman crew. Millsboro resident Ezra Richards’ aerial fleet includes a helicopter, as well.
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