Baldwin County and communities across the states affected by Hurricane Helene only a week ago have united to bring supplies and comfort to disaster areas.
Lt. Col. Robert Shelor reported to The Baldwin Bulletin that flights to South Carolina and areas in Georgia have been ongoing since last Friday. These donations are dropped off and then spread to disaster areas near the site, including disaster areas in North Carolina.
“The destruction over there (South Carolina) is phenomenal…the infrastructure was damaged. The farther east you go, the worse it gets,” said Shelor. “A year ago, I bought an airplane with Tara Parker, who has her license. People are needing food, supplies like diapers and towels and such, and everything, so we’ve been flying together to deliver these supplies.”
Parker and Shelor, alongside many other pilots, have been delivering supplies to Anderson, S.C. and Baxley, Ga.
“As we have been flying, I have not seen any state, local, or federal government official or employee at these sites. Each site is run by volunteers and local civilians,” said Shelor. “When we flew into Anderson, the moment our airplane was turned off and safe, they had our plane unloaded in five minutes. Everything was immediately sorted, put out onto pallets, and loaded into helicopters that would deliver directly to disaster areas.”
According to Shelor, the pilots refer to a spreadsheet with contacts at different airports to be able to communicate with sites, specify needs, and ensure what is being delivered is needed and will be received. As an example, according to Shelor, they delivered a load of canned meat to Baxley because requests had been put in for protein-rich food.
The donations that have been delivered were donated by the local community. From individual donations to larger donations from drop-off sites, like Baldwin County Fire & Rescue, every resource is being spread out to various areas.
“Churches, civic groups, health groups and all kinds of people each greet us when we arrive on site,” said Shelor. “There are many different recipients of these resources.”
As of Oct. 8, Shelor reported that there were plans being developed to deliver to Wrens and Augusta.
“Tara has been the brains behind what we are getting done. She has been the active participant working with the airports and ensuring what we have accomplished is getting done,” said Shelor.
Scan the QR code attached to this article to view a short video of Shelor showing off one of the delivery sites.