Biffle from NASCAR and other drivers help relieve Helene

(NewsNation) — As the relief effort continues to provide aid and supplies to North Carolinians affected by Helene, one of the state’s native sons and best-known NASCAR driver is trading in his race car for a helicopter to help.

Greg Biffle, 19-time winner of NASCAR’s Cup Series and the first driver to win championships in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series, is using his private helicopter to help provide care to residents stranded by flooding in the area .

“I’ve seen some really hard things,” Biffle told NewsNation. “Roads and bridges – disappeared and washed out. Not just a street or an area. I mean, it’s hundreds of miles.”

How you can donate and help Helene victims and survivors

Biffle equates the storm damage to Hurricane Katrina, but said the difference between the two storms is that Helene affected more remote areas. Katrina flooded large parts of the large city of New Orleans in Louisiana.

“You can’t see it, so you don’t see how bad it is,” Biffle said.

Another local volunteer, Christina Grossu, told NewsNation that the most difficult aspect of relief efforts in places like North Carolina is knowing that not everyone can be helped. Officials said Tuesday that at least 160 people had died in the storm and that at least 600 people were still missing as post-storm efforts continued in six states.

Given the volume of supplies to be delivered and the fact that many local residents are stranded, it remains critical to ensure small aircraft such as helicopters and private planes are not overwhelmed, volunteers told NewsNation.

Watch: Exclusive Helicopter Tour of Asheville, North Carolina

In addition to baby items and other items being delivered by pilots, it is increasingly difficult to hear the stories of volunteers trying to organize deliveries. In addition to deliveries of essentials, volunteers said they received the first requests for body bags as the search for the missing continues less than a week after the storm made landfall in Florida.

As more pilots join the mission, the operation, now known as Hurricane Helene Airlift Relief, which began on Facebook, continues to grow.

In addition to pilots like Biffle, others from neighboring states like South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia are beginning to travel to North Carolina to help with the effort.

In addition to flying in supplies, Biffle told NewsNation was able to obtain hundreds of Starlink satellite internet devices to help storm victims who may not have reliable cell service reach their family members.

“This isn’t a red or blue thing — this is a North Carolina thing,” one volunteer told NewsNation. “You’re hurt, I’ll stop and help you get off the road. We will all be good Samaritans now.”

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