RALEIGH – Several states are providing emergency personnel, rescue equipment and other assets to help North Carolina flood victims following Hurricane Matthew.
“Affected communities are being provided the help they need and we are grateful for the support offered by these states at this difficult time,” said Mike Sprayberry, North Carolina Emergency Management director. “We truly appreciate the efforts to ensure the safety of our citizens who are in desperate situations.”
Swift water rescue teams from Ohio, New York, New Jersey and the U.S. Coast Guard joined teams from North Carolina to rescue more than 2,000 people from their homes and cars caught in floodwaters.
Twenty nurses from Tennessee are staffing shelters to aid evacuees. Baptist Disaster Relief teams from Arkansas and Missouri have dispatched mobile kitchens to Greenville and Whiteville. A mobile kitchen from Virginia Baptist Disaster Relief is already serving food in Rocky Mount.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency provided two of its senior staff to assist with the coordination of response and recovery resources. A seven-member team from Virginia is providing operations, logistical and communications support.
The resources are provided under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an agreement between the states to provide disaster relief during governor-declared states of emergency.
Prior to Hurricane Matthew’s arrival, Governor McCrory deployed to South Carolina a 31-member swift water rescue team, one National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and eight personnel that specialize in helicopter aquatic rescues, as well as two mass casualty buses and eight personnel to assist with medical evacuations. Those personnel and resources have since returned to North Carolina to assist with rescue and recovery efforts here.