ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — As western North Carolina continues to recover from Helene, many of the rescuers who worked nonstop during the storm are getting a chance to reflect on their experiences.
Sgt. Brandon Bryson heads the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Swift Water Rescue Team. He’s been doing rescue work for 21 years.
“This is absolutely is the worst disaster I’ve ever seen,” he said.
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As the storm hit, conditions kept getting worse.
“We had multiple trees on cars. We had one fall on firefighter in front of us. We were able to cut him out. We launched our Zodiac boats on Hwy. 70,” Bryson recalled. “There was a landslide. We got a call on Highway 80 in McDowell County, so part of our team went to that landslide … I think they walked eight and a half miles in the mud, and and then they were able to tie rescue ropes with a pulley system between two trees so they could get a victim across the waters.”