Video and Photo by Caroline Routh
LEAD: It’s been two months since Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, but the damage caused by the storm will take years to rebuild. Reporter Caroline Routh tells us about Savage Freedoms, a group of veterans who bring their military expertise to the relief efforts.
TRACK: When Adam Smith couldn’t get in contact with his 3.5 year old daughter and his mother in Western North Carolina, the former Army Green Beret called up his veteran friends with helicopters for help.
KEVIN HILL: “They were fine. Got them out. So miracle number one, that was it.”
TRACK: The special ops search and rescue mission wasn’t new to this veteran-focused group, and their base in Swannanoa grew.
KEVIN HILL: “Adam getting his family off the mountain was the very first aerial recovery or rescue from this whole event. And then from there we started the resupply effort. And then that just didn’t stop for a while.”
STANDUP: Tucked just a second off the highway is currently the worksite for Savage Freedoms, an organization that aims to bring support to the area.
TRACK: The rag-tag volunteer group immediately gelled.
KEVIN HILL: “But the core group that understands how to operate in chaos and kind of makes sense of that, that absolutely grew from a military background”
TRACK: Despite the noble mission, Savage Freedoms has encountered resistance when it comes to having their help accepted.
KEVIN HILL: “Like the people up here are super resilient, great people, especially those that live in the mountains right, and they are super hardy, and they want to take care of themselves and take of each other, and they’re pretty guarded with outside assistance, and sometimes they will just like tell you, like, no, I don’t need anything, like but your house is like hanging off a cliff. They’re like, ‘No, I’m good.’”
TRACK: Slowly but surely they’ve been earning the trust of the locals and becoming a source of strength and hope during these trying times.
TRACK: Garret, a Durham police officer, came to Swannanoa to offer some relief for a friend who was volunteering to provide security.
GARRETT: “I enjoy being the best part of someone’s worst day, walking into a situation that they don’t understand, helping them find their way through it, and helping them find a solution.”
TRACK: As the group continues to rebuild the area, they have more on the horizon and a big goal in sight.
KEVIN HILL: “To change the phase of disaster relief in the US, maybe the world. Lofty goal? But we’re going to start here.”
TRACK: I’m Caroline Routh, reporting
TAG: It will take months and years for Western North Carolina to fully recover. But it’s groups like Savage Freedoms who are just one vital part in rebuilding the area.
