(NewsNation) — In Swannanoa, North Carolina, a group calling themselves the “Redneck Air Force” is helping deliver aid to mountain areas affected by Hurricane Helene.
The home base for the group looks like a central command for disaster relief, but it’s all being run by volunteers, mostly retired special ops.
They are choppering aid into the mountains, and volunteers with the group said they haven’t seen FEMA or federal help.
After making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, Helene weakened as it traveled up the southeast. Western North Carolina was particularly hit hard by the storm, which dumped record amounts of rain on communities built in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains.
The region surrounding Asheville, North Carolina, was virtually cut off, with hundreds of roads washed out or impassable and cell phone service down. More than a week after the storm hit, thousands are still without power or water with no firm timeline given for restoration.
NewsNation’s Rich McHugh went up with the group, flying over the popular tourist destination of Chimney Rock, which has been almost completely devastated by Helene.
Helicopters come into the volunteer group’s headquarters to load up with supplies and fly aid into those still in the area.
FEMA held a press conference on the disaster response, with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell pushing back against what the agency has characterized as misinformation about the response.
Officials in the area have said it’s making it more difficult for the agency to help people.
“People that have been impacted are afraid to apply for the assistance, that they can then get a hotel room. If I can’t get them to apply, I can’t get them the assistance,” Criswell said. “I’ve heard rumors that if you take our $750 and don’t pay it back, we’re going to take your home. Absolutely false.”
But the men and women running the Redneck Air Force say they have found FEMA’s response lacking.
“[It’s] incompetent, if we’re talking about, broadly speaking, limited-to-no personnel,” said Adam Smith, former Green Beret. “Once they did get here, they put themselves in positions, obviously, to make connections, create rapport, but in the process, there’s not been much dedicated assistance or support. I’ve not seen one FEMA individual come through this location. I’ve not seen one FEMA truck in this town.”
Aaron Switzer, who was part of Air Force Special Operations before he retired, said FEMA is taking too long to get aid out.
“These guys are coming in trying to figure out what the problem is and who’s in charge while we’re solving the problems,” Switzer said. “People don’t care what’s going to happen two weeks from now when they’re starving. They need food, they need water, they need warmth. They need somebody to give them a hug and say, what do you need? They don’t need a government official to say we’re here, and we’re going to fix this.”
In North Carolina, more than 1,600 local and state search-and-rescue team members have been joined by about 1,700 members of the state National Guard, according to Gov. Roy Cooper’s office.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said Monday that an additional 500 active-duty troops have been deployed to North Carolina. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said troops with advanced technological assets will be arriving, bringing the total number of active-duty forces to about 1,500. The troops are bringing surveillance equipment to allow officials to get a better overview of the region.
Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said search-and-rescue aircraft were flying 10-hour sorties providing wellness checks, medical care and evacuations. He called the military’s operations the “most important and honorable mission for us, which is to help fellow citizens.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
