HOUSTON — In the wake of Hurricane Helene, a Houston-based search and rescue group has located hundreds of people in North Carolina’s hardest-hit communities.
More than 100 volunteers with CrowdSource Rescue deployed after the storm that's blamed for nearly 200 deaths.
Director Lor Garza Dykes told KHOU 11 the requests for assistance have been urgent.
“I get a lot of direct stories, 'I’m still missing my daughter, I haven’t heard from my son,'” she said. “It reminds me of Hurricane Harvey where the need was so immediate. You’re talking to a loved one on the phone and the call just drops.”
CrowdSource Rescue was founded in 2017 when floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area. According to their website, they've rescued over 65,000 people all over the country since then.
The organization uses mapping technology to pinpoint areas where people need welfare checks, rescues, and even debris removal. So far, the organization reports its volunteers have rescued or performed welfare checks on at least 600 people in North Carolina.
“We’re still finding little clusters of, 'Oh my gosh, there’s at least three here that haven’t heard from anybody' and it’s been confirmed we need to go there,” Garza Dykes said. “We have swift water divers, we have boats, but so much of the work is on foot, we have some volunteers on dirt bikes, ATVS.
The terrain of the impacted region has also proven to be a challenge for volunteers.
“With North Carolina specifically, where we’re focused on, there’s a lot of mountains, and there’s a lot of people who live in these mountains and it’s rough. People get blocked in because of trees that came down and they can’t get out,” Garza Dykes explained.
Organization leaders have said volunteers will be in North Carolina for at least another week.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can visit the CrowdSource Rescue website.
“Volunteers are driving in from all over the county, it’s amazing,” Garza Dykes said. “If someone’s capable and self-sufficient to be out there, in what’s questionable terrain and questionable roads in some situations, they can be of help.”
If you can't volunteer but would like to help, here's the link to make donations.