North Carolina Air National Guard delivers 450,000 pounds of cargo as part of Hurricane Helene relief efforts
October 7, 2024
Seven days after Tropical Storm Helene devastated Western North Carolina, the North Carolina Air National Guard delivered an additional 80,000 pounds of food, water, and other critical supplies to the Asheville Regional Airport, co-ordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The 145th Airlift Wing is assigned to Charlotte Air National Guard Base, North Carolina, and operates three Boeing C-17A Globemaster III aircraft.
The 145th Airlift Wing’s 156th Airlift Squadron completed four C-17 missions immediately after Tropical Storm Helene ‘hit’, delivering 228 pallets equaling 50,000 pounds of various supplies and more than 400,000 pounds of water, MREs (meals ready to eat) and medications to Western North Carolina, operating from North Carolina Charlotte-Douglas International Airport,
“On the first day of the storm we activated our first response teams,” said Col. Marshal T. Haylett, 145th AW commander. “Since then, we’ve been adding capabilities daily. We have road clearance teams as well as teams in Asheville receiving cargo from multiple agencies, organizing and distributing supplies further into Western North Carolina where they are in the most need.”
“The men and women of the 145th Airlift Wing remain an essential part of Helene relief efforts,” Haylett said. “We will continue to be a part of the response for as long as we are needed.”
