12 North Georgia pilots deliver critical aid to storm-ravaged areas in North Carolina
A group of pilots around North Georgia have been flying supplies to areas in North Carolina devastated by Helene all week, completing a total of 54 loads. It has taken 12 pilots to do so.
"They're coming in on truckloads and picking up stuff as quickly as we can bring it," Casey Millsaps, the pilot who organized the donations, said.
"We really saw there was a genuine need up here. It started out the only way to get it in and out was by airplane and helicopter," he added.
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FOX 5 Atlanta spoke to Millsaps on Facetime on Sunday from Boone, North Carolina. He and three other pilots dropped off supplies there as well as Banner Elk. He said blankets were the biggest request Sunday as temperatures in the mountains are expected to drop this week.
Over the last several days, Millsaps and his team have reached 12 different cities in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee carrying donations from the community.
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"The roads are opening back up, so today is probably going to be the day where we start to wind down our airdrop operations," Millsaps said.
"We'll be on an as-needed basis for any specific requests – insulin, medication, anything like that – if we're able to supply that," he added.
He said while recovery in the area is far from over, there's a growing feeling of hope on the ground.
"People are smiling a lot more than earlier in the week. There's a little bit less rush right now. I think people are starting to get just a slight taste of hope and a little bit of relief as more stuff comes in," Millsaps added.