When Hurricane Helene brought deadly flooding to western North Carolina, NCHART was among the rescue helicopter teams that responded.
NCHART, or Helo-Aquatic Search & Rescue, is a highly-specialized collaboration between the N.C. National Guard, the N.C. State Highway Patrol, N.C. Emergency Management and local first responders, including firefighters and EMS.
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NCHART deployed on Sept. 28, saving hundreds of lives in less than one month while delivering supplies needed for survival. Photos of the intense rescue operations show people and animals being pulled into the helicopters to safety.
The images tell stories of second chances in the face of disaster.
After Helene hit the mountains, NCHART aircraft and technicians immediately went to work, initially searching from above for those who needed help.
"They flew large search patterns looking for people that needed rescue," Justin J. Graney with the state Department of Public Safety said. "During [the] beginning, disaster communications were down widely across the mountains, which made it very difficult to know where they needed to fly."
Then hundreds of rescues began. The NCHART team has made 540 air rescues since Helene, of which 196 were conducted by hoist operations.
"They either rescue folks from an aircraft using a static line [or] lower into the area and make a rescue," Graney said.
The aviation teams have been performing rescues across the state for 20 years, but Graney said their recent effort in western NC was unprecedented.
"We have had the most aggressive and robust aviation response in North Carolina history with Helene," Graney said.
In addition to rescuing people, the aircraft teams drop lifesaving supplies, which are known as "opportunity drops."
"After a disaster, aviation assets are priceless, roadways are damaged, communication systems are damaged," Graney explained. "Aviation allows us to get critical commodities in areas devastated by a storm."
Teams with NCHART are still active in the mountains, but the group is always on-call. During Helene response, the teams will continue to deploy to emergency rescues all across the state, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The team uses different helicopters, UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters provided by the N.C. National Guard, and Bell-429 and Bell-407 helicopters provided by the State Highway Patrol.
NCHART candidates must pass an 50-hour intensive course to be considered for the team, according to the website. There are approximately 35 rescuers assigned to NCHART statewide.