The Rescue of Helene Survivors in NC Was a Private Undertaking

The Rescue of Helene Survivors in NC Was a Private Undertaking The Rescue of Helene Survivors in NC Was a Private Undertaking The rescue operation was an unpaid entrepreneurial mission, Operation Airdrop, by private helicopter pilots using their own equipment.

Generally, local officials were welcoming and appreciative of the private rescue operation.

The rescue mission was accomplished.

Here is an interview with one participant: FEMA, federal agencies and state resources were late to the event and mostly an impediment when they did arrive.

An air national guard Blackhawk helicopter was asked to perform the mission but the pilot refused, stating “rescuing people is not our mission.” A National Guard Colonel who just happened to be on site for other reasons, overheard the conversation and intervened with his own orders.

I spoke to one pilot who faced arrest on two occasions because having to land in limited spaces “endangered nearby people.” It seems some authorities misinterpreted rescue as endangerment.

However, some pilots were threatened with arrest and ordered out of the area. 

https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2024/10/13/the-rescue-of-helene-survivors-in-nc-was-a-private-undertaking/