Mid-Missourians continue to assist with Hurricane Helene relief efforts

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Volunteers from Mid-Missouri and across the state currently have boots on the ground in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Missouri Task Force 1 received a new mission Wednesday to search a 7-mile stretch of remote western North Carolina as part of its continued relief efforts after Hurricane Helene.

A Facebook post by the Boone County Fire Protection District said Wednesday the 45-member team and its 16-person water rescue team had been tasked with searching the area of the Catawba River in McDowell County, North Carolina.

Spokesperson Gale Blomenkamp said the search is expected to last several days due to significant debris and destruction in the area.

"Our men and women train to do what they're doing and that's what they want to do when they go out the door," Blomenkamp said. "They want to help their neighbors and that's what they're getting to do."

He said most of the search will be done on foot through the mountainous terrain due to the destruction and not many roads being left in the area. However, there are safety officers assigned on the task force, and all members are trained to slow down and reevaluate if a situation seems unsafe.

"They come from all four corners of the State of Missouri and everywhere in between and they're the best of the best," Blomenkamp said. "That's what we send out there to help our neighbors in North Carolina."

This comes as the task force successfully completed a previous search mission Tuesday that covered around 10,000 acres, according to the post.

Also Wednesday, seven Missouri Task Force 1 cadaver dog teams received mission assignments.

Blomenkamp said the dogs have been paired with other task force teams, including a team from New Jersey, to walk around piles of debris and alert at any sign of human remains. The pile is then marked for locals to go in and do the recovery.

"There's so much debris that there's no way we as people can go through those piles and determine whether someone's in there or not," Blomenkamp said. "[Human Remain Detection] dogs are the best way to do that."

He said morale among the team is good despite the lack of sleep and lots of hard work.

Meanwhile, the American Red Cross Missouri and Arkansas Region has sent 51 volunteers to the area to assist with relief efforts. Spokesperson Sharon Watson said of those 51, six are from the Central and Northern Missouri Chapter. Most are primarily supporting shelter operations.

Jamestown, Missouri, resident Tom Shands is currently helping operate a shelter out of Polk County High School in Columbus, North Carolina, for survivors in the area.

"It's my job to make sure everything is safe, the clients are safe and their needs are met," Shands said.

Shands arrived to the shelter Tuesday night. He flew into the area on Sept. 22 and has previously been stationed in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida, before being sent to North Carolina.

Now, he is working the overnight shift at the shelter and making sure people are comfortable in the makeshift dormitory in the gymnasium.

"They are very thankful to be in a place like this where they've got three meals a day, a roof over their head and safety," Shands said.

He said the shelter was without power until Wednesday afternoon, but they do have hot water, showers and food for residents. He said the school and surrounding area appears to be okay, but he's told some homes were completely destroyed just miles from the shelter.

This is Shands' seventh disaster mission with the American Red Cross in 2024. He said he's been responding to disasters since 2005 and has been involved with the American Red Cross since 1975.

He believes it's his Christian duty to help people.

"I'm 77 years old, and I'm able to get out and do what a lot of people can't do," Shands said. "So, I consider it a blessing to be able to serve others and help them as much as I can."

He said the American Red Cross can't do what it does without financial help and encourages people to donate to the relief efforts by going to redcross.org.

Both Missouri Task Force 1 and the American Red Cross said the deployments can last up to two weeks.