‘Looks like a third-world country’: North Alabama volunteer team aids North Carolina

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — There are at least 180 deaths from Hurricane Helene so far, and that number is expected to continue climbing, especially in Western North Carolina.

“We took 300 body bags into one place, and they called back 10 minutes later and said they need more,” North Carolina Aerospace Volunteer and Muscle Shoals local Brett Harlow said.

Harlow and a fellow volunteer crew member from AOG Solutions in Muscle Shoals flew a company helicopter to an area near Asheville, North Carolina Monday. The two volunteers decided to go on their own will, without a direct request for their presence but knew they could help.

“It was on our own merit,” Harlow said. “We were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do something. This feels great. I mean, our helicopter is available, so let’s make something happen.'”

Harlow said that nothing could’ve prepared him for what he and his team had seen both on the air and the ground. He noted the true severity of the storm damage across the state.

“Highly inaccessible roads, catastrophic damage to the roads, the infrastructure, hospitals just washed out,” Harlow said. “It looks like a third-world country…if you could just look at the pictures and you think it’s bad, it’s 10 times worse than what the picture shows.”

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Harlow and the team are just one part of a widespread effort made up of National Guard units and search and rescue teams. All of these teams have fanned out across the mountains, saving people who may have been trapped for days.

“A 9-year-old girl,” Harlow said. “She was having kidney issues, hadn’t eaten in a couple days, so we ended up getting her out of there and taking her to the hospital.”

When they’re not rescuing people in need of immediate medical attention, they’re supplying substantial amounts of necessities like bottled, clean water and food to unreachable communities. They also take medication requests from those in desperate need, such as Insulin or heart medication. Further, they have brought Starlink satellites to powerless communities, giving a sense of life back to those who had it drastically ripped away.

“Even if we’re only bringing them bottled water, you see it in their faces,” Harlow said. “And, I think it’s that connection to the outside world. They’re trapped. I don’t think people realize they literally have no communication.”

Despite the impact they’re making, Harlow fears for the future.

“Everybody’s so grateful and thankful,” Harlow said. “The sad part is, it’s still early, there’s going to be a lot more. I mean, this is going to go on for maybe two months at a minimum for some of these places.”

AOG Solutions has set up a personal GoFundMe page to help cover their out-of-pocket expenses, such as night vision goggles to continue rescues at night. All the details are listed with the fundraiser.

There is a GoFundMe page set up to assist all volunteer helicopters with their fuel costs.

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