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More than 6,300 National Guardsmen are helping the Southeast United States recover from Hurricane Helene, the National Guard Bureau said Tuesday.
Guardsmen from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and North and South Carolina mobilized in the aftermath of the devastating storm, NGB continued.
Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Iowa Guardsmen also responded to Hurricane Helene, it noted.
These Guardsmen rescued hundreds of people and cleared roads across multiple states, the bureau added.
Overall, 12 states were supporting recovery efforts related to Helene as of Tuesday morning, NGB stated.
These states were conducting warehouse support, high/swift water rescues, presence patrols, search and rescue, evacuation support, LNO support and boat rescues, it said.
Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, arriving as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds, The Associated Press reported Monday.
The storm had killed at least 139 people across six states as of Tuesday, AP continued.
More than 2 million homeowners and other utility customers also lacked power late Sunday, it stated.
Moody’s Analytics additionally expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage from Helene, AP added.
"It’s pretty devastating to look at a lot of homes that have been wiped off the foundations and a lot of people that are probably going to be having to restart their lives pretty shortly," Brig. Gen. Alex Harlamor of the Florida Guard told CNN Saturday.
Across the nation’s Southeast, Guardsmen rescued people stranded by flooding from Helene using boats, helicopters and high-water vehicles.
Guardsmen also cleared downed trees and debris from roads, distributed food and water and patrolled areas the storm hit hard.
There were 3,100 Guardsmen on state active duty in Florida as of Tuesday morning, NGB said, with 11 helicopters in support.
The Florida Guard also provided North Carolina with two additional CH-47 Chinook helicopters, it continued.
In North Carolina, NGB noted, 784 Guardsmen were on state active duty as of Tuesday morning, with 20 helicopters in support.
Multiple states were also providing assistance to North Carolina the same day, NGB added, after Helene struck the Tar Heel State.
Helene left a trail of destruction stretching from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, AP said Monday.
For instance, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Monday that shelters in western North Carolina were housing more than 1,000 people.
President Joe Biden said Monday the federal government would be with the survivors and other people that Helene impacted "as long as it takes."
Biden also plans on asking Congress for additional disaster money assistance related to the storm, AP said Monday.
The president is set to survey the destruction Helene caused in the mountains of Western North Carolina on Wednesday, it added Tuesday.
The North Carolina National Guard Association has several options for helping the recovery efforts in Western North Carolina.
The NCNGA has established a donation website where 100% of all raised funds will go directly towards the relief and rebuilding efforts in Western North Carolina. The website is available here.
The organization is also accepting donations of items including non-perishable food, diapers of all sizes, baby formula and more dropped off or shipped to its office at 7410 Chapel Hill Road in Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607. All donations should be addressed to "NC National Guard Association." The NCNGA is accepting all donations directly or from shipping providers such as Amazon.
For any questions about the NCNGA’s Helene relief efforts — and a full list of donation items the organization is accepting — please email info@ncnga.org.
— By Mark Hensch
