W2: Mules Deliver After Hurricane Helene
When disaster struck the western part of North Carolina as the remnants of Hurricane Helene dropped nearly 20 inches of rain in less than 48 hours, there was an immediate humanitarian crisis. Rivers and streams flooded, mountain roads were blocked, and people needed help.
Supplies were immediately brought in by helicopter. The problem was, a helicopter needs a place to land, and in many of these mountain areas, there was no landing area. So a little-known military training group, Mountain Mule Packer Ranch stepped in to help access areas that the helicopters couldn’t.
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W2: MULES DELIVER AFTER HURRICANE HELENE
HAPPY WEDNESDAY EVERYONE…AS YOU KNOW, ON WEDNESDAY I FIND A STORY FROM THE PRESENT THAT’S INSPIRING AND CAPTURES PEOPLE DOING GOOD THINGS FOR ONE ANOTHER. THIS WEEK, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO SHARE WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA.
THIS IS A STORY THAT’S MORE THAN JUST ABOUT PEOPLE DOING THINGS FOR ANOTHER, IT CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN.
EPISODE
LATE ON SEPTEMBER 26TH, A MERE FOUR DAYS AFTER FIRST FORMING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AS A LOW-PRESSURE SYSTEM, HURRICANE HELENE MADE LANDFALL IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF FLORIDA, AS A POWERFUL CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE.
WHAT MADE THE HURRICANE DIFFERENT WAS THE INTENSE SIZE, AND IT’S TRACK. AFTER RAVAGING PARTS OF FLORIDA, THE STORM CONTINUED NORTH INTO GEORGIA, AND THEN INTO THE WESTERN PART OF NORTH CAROLINA WHERE IT STALLED AND DUMPED MORE MOISTURE THAN THE AREA COULD HANDLE NEAR THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE.
AREAS IN THE BLACK MOUNTAINS REGION WERE HIT THE HARDEST, WHERE UPWARDS OF 19 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN ONLY A FEW HOURS. THE WATER HAD NOWHERE TO GO. RIVERS AND CREEKS SWALLOWED HOMES, MOUNTAINSIDES COLLAPSED, AND ROADWAYS WERE COMPLETELY COVERED BY DEBRIS, LEAVING RESIDENTS TRAPPED WITH NO ACCESS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
THE REGION WAS DEVASTATED AND THE CLOCK WAS TICKING.
QUICKLY, RESCUE TEAMS ASSEMBLED. VOLUNTEERS FROM ALL OVER SPILLED INTO NEARBY TOWNS, GATHERING SUPPLIES AT STAGING AREAS AND PLANNING HOW THEY WOULD ASSIST RESIDENTS.
THE PROBLEM THAT VERY QUICKLY BECAME APPARENT WAS THAT WITH ROADWAYS BLOCKED, THEY’D NEED TO BRING SUPPLIES IN BY AIR WITH THE HELP OF VOLUNTEER GROUPS LIKE OPERATION AIRDROP AND OPERATION HELO. HUNDREDS OF HELICOPTERS WERE ASSEMBLED TO DELIVER MUCH-NEEDED SUPPLIES, LIKE DIAPERS, FOOD, AND WATER, TO THOSE IN NEED.
HOWEVER, HELICOPTERS CAN ONLY SAFELY DELIVER SUPPLIES WHERE THEY CAN LAND, AND WITH THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA SWALLOWED BY FLOODS AND LITTERED WITH DEBRIS, IT WAS A REAL PROBLEM.
MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE MORE RURAL AREAS, WERE LEFT TRAPPED WITHOUT ACCESS TO SUPPLIES BY AIR, AND A SOLUTION WAS NEEDED QUICKLY.
LUCKILY, THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AREA IS WHERE MOUNTAIN MULE PACKER RANCH IS LOCATED. THEY’RE ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST EXPERIENCED HIGH-ALTITUDE, TERRAIN PACK ANIMAL SUPPLY UNITS, AND THEY ARE UNIQUELY QUALIFIED FOR THIS EXACT TYPE OF MISSION. THEIR TEAM OF TRAINED VOLUNTEERS AND MULES CAN CARRY SUPPLIES AND TRAVERSE AREAS WHERE MANY OTHERS CAN’T.
ORGINALLY FROM THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS, THE GROUP NOT LONG AGO RELOCATED TO THE FOOTHILLS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THEIR MISSION IS TO TRAIN MILITARY UNITS TO USE MULES FOR DANGEROUS HIGH-ALTITUDE SUPPLY ROUTES WHERE OTHER VEHICLES CAN’T OPERATE, SO THEY CAN MOVE WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, MEDICAL SUPPLIES, AND EVEN WOUNDED SOLDIERS.
ONCE IT BECAME CLEAR THAT NEARBY RESIDENTS NEEDED HELP, MOUNTAIN MULE PACKER RANCH SPRANG INTO ACTION, CLEARED THEIR CALENDARS, AND TRADED THEIR MILITARY GEAR FOR ESSENTIAL LIFESAVING SUPPLIES. THEY QUICKLY PARTNERED WITH THE VOLUNTEER GROUP CAJUN NAVY 2016 TO SET UP A LOGISTICS CENTER. THEY CONNECTED WITH RESIDENTS OF BLACK MOUNTAIN AND NEARBY SWANNANOA TO BRING THEM THE EXACT ITEMS THEY NEEDED MOST …TRAVERSING WASHED OUT ROADWAYS AND TRAILS…RISKING THEIR OWN SAFETY FROM DAWN TO DUSK…ALL ON FOOT.
ONLY TIME WILL TELL HOW MANY LIVES THIS GROUP HAS SAVED, BUT THEY’RE NOT THE TYPE OF PEOPLE TO THINK MUCH ABOUT THAT – FOR THEM IT’S ABOUT TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE AND STAYING CONNECTED TO WHAT MATTERS MOST.
IN ONE VIDEO THE GROUP SHARED ONLINE, THEY WERE ABLE TO DELIVER ICE TO AN ELDERLY MAN SO HE COULD KEEP HIS MUCH-NEEDED INSULIN COLD. THE VIDEO SHOWS THE MAN WALKING OUT FROM HIS HOME TO THE MULE PACKER TEAM TO RECEIVE THE ICE WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE. THE CAPTION READ “HOW MANY DAYS DO WE TAKE FOR GRANTED THE SIMPLEST THINGS?”
WHAT A GREAT REMINDER TO NOT ONLY TAKE A MOMENT TO BE THANKFUL FOR THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE WE FORGET ABOUT, LIKE ELECTRICITY AND CLEAN WATER….BUT TO BE THANKFUL FOR WHERE WE LIVE…BECAUSE, WHILE THINGS MAY NOT ALWAYS BE GOING OUR WAY…THERE ARE ALWAYS GOOD HUMANS…AND GOOD ANIMALS…READY TO DELIVER THE HELP WE NEED.
https://www.mountainmulepackers.com/index.html