Hurricane Helene is one of the worst storms of the last 50 years.
Desperate Americans are trapped in flood-ravaged towns.
And an Army sniper went on one scary rescue mission after Hurricane Helene.
Western North Carolina devastated after Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 4 Hurricane before becoming a tropical storm.
The storm wreaked havoc across the southeast from Florida to Virginia.
Western North Carolina was the hardest hit region from Helene after it dumped a record amount of rain and created historic flooding.
Entire towns were wiped off the map from the water.
Thousands are missing and nearly 200 people are dead after Helene.
The rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina meant that communities were cut off from the outside world.
Residents of the area are trapped and in need of assistance.
The federal government was nowhere to be found while President Joe Biden lounged on a beach and Vice President Kamala Harris went to a star-studded fundraiser in San Francisco.
Rescue mission launched to help storm victims in North Carolina
Representative Cory Mills (R-FL), a former sniper with the Army’s 82nd Airborne, led a rescue mission for American citizens stranded in Afghanistan in 2021, and after Biden’s withdrawal earlier this year from Haiti when gang violence flared up.
He was not going to wait around while the Biden-Harris administration was doing nothing for the suffering victims of Helene.
Mills launched a search and rescue mission in Western North Carolina with the charity Mercury One.
He also brought supplies via helicopter and did wellness checks on residents.
His effort brought bottled water, food, and diapers to residents trapped by the storm.
“I’m based in Greenville, South Carolina, to get in supplies,” Mills told Florida Politics. “We are also working with teams for search and rescue to conduct welfare checks, as well as, try to land/hoist people to safety. Both helicopters have hoist capabilities.”
Mills brought Starlink satellite internet setups to areas where cell service and communications were destroyed by the storm.
“The number of missing reported, and unconfirmed reports of fatalities in NC, is staggering,” Mills wrote on X. “Happy to get out our first drop of supplies to Asheville, NC to help those in need. Tomorrow will drop more supplies and assist with rescues and checks.”
Mills found an elderly couple that was trapped and a family with an eight-year-old child.
“What we’re going to look at is areas that are hard to get to that we can utilize hoist operations,” Mills explained.
He was able to successfully hoist an elderly man to safety.
Mills said that he felt the need to answer the call and help his fellow Americans.
“Anytime there’s any type of devastation or Americans that are in jeopardy, obviously it’s, it’s piqued my attention, and we need to be able to do a response to that in some way,” Mills said. “I feel like, as an elected official sort of like a responsibility to try and do what I can to help the American people, regardless if you live in Florida’s 7th District or anywhere in the country.”
Private citizens are stepping up to help in the aftermath of Helene while the federal government is missing in action.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
