LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — Colorado volunteers are already on the ground trying to help save homes and lives in the destruction zone caused by Hurricane Helene.
The Colorado Task Force 1, made up of 45 responders from Colorado, is lending a helping hand about an hour northeast of Asheville, North Carolina.
Supplies arrive by plane and by mule in North Carolina as Helene’s death toll tops 130
The task force’s program manager Bob Olme said the volunteers are working about 16 to 18 hours a day.
“There is a long path of damage from this one that is really historical. I’m not sure if we’ve ever seen this kind of damage this deep into the heartland of the U.S.,” said Olme.
The devastation spread not just to Florida but also to the Carolinas. With no internet or cell service, it’s been challenging to communicate with the team.
“We utilized sat phones this morning to have about a 5-minute briefing to see if they had any needs,” Olme said. “There’s no power where they stayed Sunday night. They were in a church with no power. No water. No cell phone service no internet. So it’s been extremely difficult.”