Two Vermont swift-water teams have been helping with rescue efforts in Florida and North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said the teams were deployed late last week just before the hurricane came ashore.
About 20 Vermont rescue personnel are searching for survivors in the Asheville region of North Carolina, which experienced catastrophic flooding and damage.
It is not lost on us that the area our team is working is the home to one of the North Carolina swift-water teams that responded to Vermont in 2023 and made many rescues in the Lamoille County area.Jennifer Morrison, Vermont public safety commissioner
Morrison said it's been a demanding assignment, with many washed-out roads, no water, no electricity and no cell or internet service.
"The team leader Mike Cannon reported that the situation was hundreds of times worse than he had ever seen, and he's seen a lot. There is no water or sewer, no gasoline, no landline or cell coverage, no internet and roads are barely passable with four-wheel drive vehicles," she said.
Morrison said the Vermont personnel are working with a North Carolina group that was deployed to Vermont after last year's historic flooding.
"It is not lost on us that the area our team is working is the home to one of the North Carolina swift-water teams that responded to Vermont in 2023 and made many rescues in the Lamoille County area," she said.
Morrison expects the teams to remain deployed for at least another week.
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