During relief efforts in North Carolina following the destruction of Hurricane Helene, there have been several incidents in which “rotor wash,” the wind force generated by the propulsion of helicopter rotors, has inflicted extensive damage to relief stations, that store much-needed supplies for those impacted by the natural disaster.
Subsequently, the incidents have sparked outrage among social media users, emphasizing that the relief efforts from the government should be helping citizens, not hindering them. Reportedly, there have been at least three occurrences across the Tarheel State in which helicopter pilots have attempted a landing too close to volunteers and their critical supplies.
Sharing clips of the incidents, one person wrote on X, “Here are 3 “rotor wash” incidents on western NC local relief stations I am aware of at this time. The first video is a military Chinook style helicopter that rotor washed another relief station blowing away aid, injuring 3 people, and causing 100k in damages to people’s cars and campers (see 4th upload for details).
They continued in their lengthy commentary, “The 2nd and 3rd videos are similar incidents. This is absolutely disgusting behavior and the worst part is it’s being perpetuated by the very people in the govt who are supposed to be helping people in this devastating situation, FEMA and the military. Why is FEMA at war with us?”
User in the comments section further expressed negative sentiment toward the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the national guard, which has already been criticized for having an insufficient response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
Offering a wild conspiracy theory, one person suggested, “They are trying to provoke people into shooting at them and they are videoing it. and after these two incidents, you know people are considering it. Then what happens – martial law, politicians get to demand gun control, bypass the constitution and then imminent domain the area.”
Another user said in agreement, “Yes agreed. I was thinking about that very thing yesterday. It’s a catch 22 because if you just keep allowing this it will get worse and they take control. If you fight back it gets worse and they take control. They know this. I will always fall on the non-violence side and won’t take their bait.”
Another person commented on the troubling incidents, “I am not sure about which incident, but yesterday on the Glen Beck show, an experienced pilot called in to say he reviewed the video, and it looked accidental, similar to moments in which he, himself had made a similar mistake in his lengthy military background. (?)”
Someone else claimed in the comments section, “I suspect the supplies didn’t come from FEMA’s approved vendor list (they’ve stated so to others) Every unapproved donation delivered – approved vendors lose money. FEMA pays premium for these supplies The approved vendors are probably big political donors getting a payback.”
Watch one of the incidents below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
