Oregon State Fire Marshal team aids in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in North Carolina

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After Hurricane Helene’s landfall more than three weeks ago, the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) sent a team to North Carolina to help families devastated by the storm.

Emergency officials are still struggling to get the full scope of the storm’s damage. But according to the state’s chief medical examiner, 95 storm-related deaths are confirmed in North Carolina alone.

Further, the state’s Emergency Operations Center said 90 people are still missing and many areas remain inaccessible.

As a result, volunteers – including six members of Oregon’s Fire Marshal team – are working on the ground to restore the hundreds of roads washed out by the storm northeast of Asheville.
The ultimate goal is to help storm victims get connected with vital services.

According to OSFM, their teams are no stranger to helping with hurricane recovery efforts. In 2022, a team was also deployed to Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

Melanie Kinne with the current OSFM team told KOIN 6 News that one concern is the cooler weather moving in.

“It is getting cold here, it’s starting to freeze at night,” she said. “There’s this secondary crisis brewing of no water and very cold temperatures at night. And people’s homes are gone. They are quite literally gone.”

Despite this, Kenne said she’s heartened to see ways in which communities are helping those who need it. This includes turning entire department stores into donation centers so people can get the basics, like clothes and water.

“It’s an empty storefront built into a grocery store where you can get all your essentials depending on how big they’re built out,” she noted. “There are also care sites and large tents for people to stay like temporary shelters.”

The OSFM team is scheduled to return to Oregon on Oct. 31.