What Wichita-area firefighters saw in ‘devastation’ of Hurricane Helene in NC, Florida

When two Sedgwick County firefighters were told they would travel to North Carolina to help with Hurricane Helene relief, they didn’t hesitate.

Luke Wiebe, captain for Sedgwick County Fire District 1, and Lt. Tyler Brenneman got the call Sept. 24 that they were being sent to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene . What they assumed would be two weeks full of rescues turned into connecting with the community.

“[We] checked on people, door to door, see what they were needing, see if they’re OK, see if they wanted to be evacuated, and then also assess damage on properties, vehicles, pretty much anything that was misplaced,” Brenneman said.

Wiebe and Brenneman said the damage they saw in North Carolina was extensive.

“There’s whole trees knocked over, tree limbs down everywhere, water in multiple houses. Almost every house we went in had, you know, feet of water inside of it,” Brenneman said.

Brenneman and Wiebe said considering the situation, they were surprised to see how positive the people impacted were.

“They were actually in very good spirits,” Wiebe said. “Most people, when we checked on them, would actually ask us if we needed anything as well.”

When asked if he had been to a scene similar to this one, Brenneman said that the Andover tornado in 2022 was the only one he could think of.

“It was very similar as far as the devastation of houses and people picking up their stuff and kind of sorting through what is theirs, and going through their personal belongings,” Brenneman said. “Then when you talk to them, it was kind of the same outlook on their life. I mean, yes, they were upset they lost their house and stuff, but still very optimistic that they would rebuild and they’ll be back to normal someday.”

The journey to North Carolina

Wiebe and Brenneman began the trek to North Carolina the day they got the call.

On Sept. 24, they headed to Joplin, Missouri, where they met up with a crew from Olathe. From Joplin, the group drove through the night to Pensacola, Florida. After staying the night there, the group then drove to Orlando and then toward the Spring Hill, Florida, area, where they helped with efforts in that area. And then after about a week, they were moved to the Burnsville, North Carolina, area, where they remained for the rest of the time.

“In North Carolina, we were able to help set up a mobile hospital before we got out in the field,” Wiebe said.

While Brenneman said that it wasn’t exactly what he was expecting, the face-to-face interactions with survivors was what helped them the most.

“We ran across numerous people that hadn’t seen anybody in a week, and we were their first bases,” he said.

Wiebe said working with other Kansas firefighters was a gratifying experience.

“We had Olathe, we had Junction City, we had Manhattan, we got to work with Derby,” he said. “We were all able to come together and we work together like we’ve always been our whole careers.”

Wiebe and Brenneman returned home Oct. 8.

When asked if they would do so again, they immediately said “Yes.”

“You can’t ever replace the satisfaction you got from seeing the joy that you brought into those people’s lives,” Brenneman said. “Just simply, ‘I am from Kansas, checking on you, seeing if you need anything.’ That was it.

“It’s definitely a huge sacrifice by our families back home ... but I think comes through the greater good. I think that’s one of the things that helped [my wife] too, is she knew I was doing good and helping other people.”