During relief efforts for Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, a National Guard helicopter inflicted significant damage and injured several people from rotor wash while flying too low to the ground. Reportedly, over $100,000 in damage was done to the relief site, and three individuals were sent to the hospital. This incident involving a Chinook-style helicopter is the latest is the latest among several other rotor wash accidents that have fueled animosity toward the federal government and the broader response to Hurricane Helene.
A firsthand account of the incident has gone viral on social media, shedding light on what occurred at the relief site. Kory Roger Kappes, director of Large Loss – SERVPRO Disaster Recovery Team, shared in a now-deleted post on LinkedIn outlined the destruction that ensued when the helicopter came in too low to the ground.
“Welp… I’ve debated if I should share this or not. But Friday our team and man-camp took a huge hit. A National Guard chinook helicopter was landing next to our project, like the other 100 helicopters we’ve seen this week, and they decided to ‘buzz the tower’, if you will. Coming in way too low and destroying all of our tents, awnings, our lunch, and damaging multiple trucks, trailers, campers, and much more,” Kappes said.
According to the recovery worker, the crew was dismissive when confronted about the damage they had inflicted at the relief site. “When confronting the Senior Officer in charge, we were basically told ‘oops, our bad, and see ya,’” Kappes wrote. “I asked for names and was told to kick rocks. All I had was a tail number from the aircraft
However, he was able to get in contact with the National Guard and other authorities. “Thankfully, my father whom is retired military, knew who to call immediately. Within 30 minutes the National Guard and the FAA had contacted me. And a public affairs officer stopped by our site later to apologize and give me the information to file a complaint and claim.” Kappes continued, “Pretty sure our whole camp has a little PTSD each time another aircraft comes in to land now. We’re going strong and doing every[thing] possible to get this client operational again.”
The incident fueled outrage on social media, where users lashed out as critical relief sites continued to be damaged by the National Guard. “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),” one person wrote.
They continued, “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?”
Watch the incident below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
