As many have seen, the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene has left communities in the Carolinas and elsewhere reeling. The powerful Category 4 storm made landfall near Perry, Florida, on Sept. 26, 2024, just before midnight, packing winds of up to 140 mph.
Even before Helene reached Florida, 375 miles to the north parts of North Carolina were already grappling with heavy rain, with over half a foot falling in some areas. Flash floods, landslides, and severe winds added to the challenges faced by residents.
Demonstrating remarkable foresight and readiness, the Michigan State Police and National Guard stepped up to aid in relief efforts. On September 26, ahead of the storm’s landfall in Perry, Florida, the Michigan State Police’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division deployed Michigan Task Force 1 Type I Swiftwater Team to North Carolina. The proactive move was made in anticipation of the potential devastation, allowing the 19-member team—comprised of responders from 10 local fire departments across Michigan—to assist with water search and rescue operations in Western North Carolina.
“Our Swiftwater rescue team has trained extensively for scenarios like these, and we are ready to assist with water rescues and other critical missions during and after Tropical Storm Helene,” stated MI-TF1 Program Manager, Dave McIntyre in a statement released upon the team’s departure.
As the storm struck, the MI-TF1 team faced daunting conditions, conducting 28 rescues and evacuations in some of the hardest-hit areas. Among their missions, they saved residents trapped in floodwaters, assisted three first responders from a boat pinned against a bridge, and evacuated seven individuals from a flooded apartment complex. They even helped a severely dehydrated elderly man who required helicopter evacuation. By the end of their nine-day mission, the team had searched 646 buildings and covered over 3,000 acres in North Carolina.
On October 4, the Michigan National Guard announced the deployment of approximately 40 soldiers from the 1436th Engineer Company of the 507th Engineer Battalion, based in Montague. This second round of help from Michigan headed to South Carolina to assist with cleanup efforts following the storm’s aftermath, focusing on debris removal and road clearing in impacted communities.
“Part of our mission is disaster response and we train to be ready to support our communities across Michigan during times of need and to answer the call from other communities when facing natural disasters,” said First Lieutenant Brock Cristal, executive officer for the 1436th Engineer Company. “Our focus in South Carolina will be to help clear roadways and areas overcome by debris so that members of these communities can more readily receive the support they desperately need.”
As mountainous areas in western North Carolina were especially hard hit, the troops who had been mobilized to South Carolina on October 4 were “re-missioned” when Michigan National Guard received a request from North Carolina, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. They arrived in Burnsville, North Carolina on October 7 to help the community impacted by flooding. As part of the ongoing emergency response mission to support areas impacted by the disaster, the Michigan Army National Guard Soldiers will assist federal and local authorities with debris removal and road clearing.
This is the fourth time in just over a year that Michigan has deployed MI-TF1 through Emergency Management Assistance Compact requests. The team has previously responded to assist with disasters in South Carolina, Texas, and Vermont.
“Michiganders are tough, and we always help those in need,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Members of our Michigan National Guard and Michigan Task Force 1 Swiftwater Team are risking their own lives to save others, honoring their duty and living up to the values that best define who we are. I hope they carry out the mission successfully and get home safe as soon as possible. Let’s keep helping each other.”
In the private sector grocery giant SpartanNash, headquartered in Byron Center, partnered with Convoy of Hope in donating four truckloads of water in response to Hurricane Helene for those impacted in Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. The food solutions company issued a statement that it plans to distribute more than 500,000 meals and 5,000 personal hygiene toiletry kits to residents who were impacted by devastating flooding in the aftermath of Helene.
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