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Two USAF HH-60W helicopters rescue 4 hurricane Helene survivors

Two USAF HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters rescue four hurricane Helene survivors
Two USAF HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters rescue four hurricane Helene survivors.
An HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter assigned to the 55th Rescue Squadron, forward deployed as the 563rd Personnel Recovery Task Force, prepares to land at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, Oct. 3, 2024, in support of the U.S. Northern Command and Air Forces Northern, Defense Support of Civil Authorities Disaster Relief mission.
Rescue assets from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona practiced rescue and recovery operations to serve residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Abbey Rieves.
Story by Sgt. Abbey Rieves, 355th Wing

MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tennessee — Two U.S. Air Force (USAF) HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters mobilized as the 41st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron and 563d Personnel Recovery Task Force (PRTF), from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, rescue four injured civilians (one critically) during search and rescue efforts in North Carolina due hurricane Helene, October 5, 2024.

In support of a FEMA mission assignment, the 563d PRTF has been conducting search and rescue operations over various locations in affected areas of North Carolina, as part of the U.S. Northern Command and Air Forces Northern, Defense Support of Civil Authorities disaster relief mission.

“The PRTF continues to honor our legacy of ‘That Others May Live’,” said. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jaymes Hines, 563d PRTF commander. “We postured as forward as possible and immediately began our alert [being on-call] after the storm cleared.

We remain ready to support our Nation, our communities, our fellow Americans. We will be here as long as there are isolated or injured North Carolinians who require immediate search and rescue.”

Two USAF HH-60W helicopters rescue 4 hurricane Helene survivors
A pilot in an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter forward deployed as the 563rd Personnel Recovery Task Force conducts helicopter air-to-air refueling in North Carolina, Oct. 4, 2024, in support of the U.S. Northern Command and Air Forces Northern, Defense Support of Civil Authorities Disaster Relief mission.
The 55th RQS conducts military operations that include civil search and rescue, disaster relief, international aid, emergency medical evacuation and counter-drug activities.
U.S. Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green II aircrew photo.

This was the first rescue for the USAF supporting North Carolina and FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene. The combined efforts of the PRTF’s Surface Response Team, Guardian 41 and the HH-60W Jolly Green II airborne team units responded within 10 minutes of notification in the mountains of North Carolina – where local emergency services were unable to access.

The patients were transported via two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to Johnson Medical Center, in Johnson City, Tennessee.

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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

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