W.Va. National Guard Headed To Areas Hit By Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene devastated the southeast and now members of the West Virginia National Guard are heading to help with their recovery. 

Thirty guard members are set to leave for South Carolina on Friday to assist with reconstruction and debris cleanup. The troops will be there for around two weeks.

Busick, North Carolina received nearly 31 inches of rain, the highest rainfall in the Appalachians from any tropical weather system. 

Gov. Jim Justice, as the commander in chief of the state’s National Guard, activated the guard to aid communities devastated by the storm. 

“The West Virginia National Guard is running to the fire without hesitation, as we always do,” Justice said in a statement. “That’s what we do in West Virginia – we pull the rope together. I’m proud we can join forces with other states to support North Carolina and South Carolina in their recovery efforts. My thoughts and prayers are with our brave service members.”

National Guard Major General Bill Crane said he is grateful the governor has activated the Guard to help other states that have been impacted by the catastrophic weather. 

“You’ve seen the devastation. The governor has seen the devastation, and we want nothing more than to go in and try to help as much as we can,” Crane said.  “That’s what we’re here for. That’s why we work so well together.”

Crane says the guard will be teaming up with other state’s air teams to access areas that are still currently not accessible by land due to flooding, and infrastructure damage. 

Originally 12 more guard members were slated to head to North Carolina to assist in fatality search and recovery. However, that has been canceled. Guard officials said the North Carolina National Guard has put their request on hold as they continue to assess their response needs.