Operation Helo

08/31/2026

🚨 DID YOU KNOW THERE IS AN INTERACTIVE LANDSLIDE HAZARD MAP?

When we think about Hurricane Helene, many of us immediately remember the catastrophic flooding. But across Western North Carolina, landslides were another deadly and devastating part of the storm—often striking with little or no warning.

WCNC has created an interactive map where you can search your home, school, business or community to learn whether the surrounding area may be susceptible to landslides.

This map cannot predict exactly when or where a landslide will occur, but understanding the potential hazards around you can help you make informed decisions and prepare before the next emergency.

Take a few minutes to explore the map—and please share this resource with your friends, family and neighbors across Western North Carolina.

🔗 Access the interactive map through the link in Brad Panovich Meteorologist’s original post.

Awareness is part of preparedness. ❤️🚁

08/31/2026

MONDAY MOTIVATION 🚁❤️

“Hope is not a feeling. It’s a decision to keep showing up.”

We’ve learned that lesson again and again.

In the days immediately following disaster, showing up may mean flying into communities cut off from the outside world.

Weeks later, it may mean delivering supplies.

Months later, it may mean helping a family rebuild.

And sometimes, nearly two years later, it simply means reminding our neighbors:

We haven’t forgotten you.

Recovery doesn’t happen overnight. It happens one flight, one delivery, one home, one family and one act of service at a time.

So as we begin a new week, keep showing up. Keep serving. Keep believing that what you do matters.

Because hope is strongest when we put it into action. ❤️

Bringing Help and Hope from the Skies. 🚁🇺🇸

08/31/2026

🚨 HELENE SURVIVORS — PLEASE SHARE. TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE.

Important recovery information from NC Emergency Management for individuals and families impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.

The Helene Disaster Case Management (DCM) Program will close to NEW INTAKES tomorrow, August 31, 2026.

The overall program has been extended through January 22, 2027, allowing ongoing case management and recovery work to continue for survivors already being served.

If you or someone you know was impacted by Helene and may still need disaster case management assistance, please do not wait.

📅 New intake deadline: August 31, 2026
📅 Program extended through: January 22, 2027

Nearly two years after Helene, we know recovery is not over for many of our neighbors across Western North Carolina. Please help us get this information into the hands of the people who may need it.

🔗 Learn more from NC Emergency Management: https://bit.ly/4xtN21d

Please share. One share could reach a family who still needs help. ❤️

Bringing Help and Hope from the Skies. 🚁🇺🇸

📢 Attention those impacted by Tropical Storm Helene!

The Helene Disaster Case Management (DCM) Program has been extended through January 22, 2027. To support a smooth program transition and prioritize ongoing recovery work, the program will close to new intakes on August 31, 2026.

We are working closely with partners across the state to ensure that survivors continue to receive the support they need. More information about program transition plans will be shared later this summer and fall.

To learn more, visit: https://bit.ly/4xtN21d

08/28/2026

Donate if you can! 🙏

🔥 NORTH TEXAS NEEDS OUR HELP NOW.

The Ross Fire has burned more than 80,000 acres across Palo Pinto and Jack counties, devastating ranchland and threatening the livelihoods of North Texas farmers and ranchers. As of the morning of August 27, the fire was only 12% contained.

Even as firefighters continue working to contain the blaze, recovery cannot wait. Livestock need hay, and ranchers urgently need fencing materials to secure their animals and begin rebuilding what the fire destroyed.

Operation Airdrop is mobilizing support—but we need your help.

Your donation to the North Texas Wildfires Recovery will help provide essential resources to the farmers and ranchers facing a long road ahead.

DONATE NOW: The link is in the comments.

Please give today and share this post. Together, we can help North Texas recover—and deliver hope on wings.

We are currently accepting donations to purchase hay, animal feed, and fencing materials. As we have seen in previous disasters, the list of needs will likely grow as the situation develops.

*Due to the inherent dangers of an active wildfire environment, we are not requesting volunteer support at this time. Please do not self-deploy. We will share verified needs and volunteer opportunities as they become available.

08/27/2026

Some moments stay with you forever. ❤️🏠

This Throwback Thursday takes us back to the day we opened the doors to Miss Sharon and Mr. Darrly’s refurbished home after Hurricane Helene—and handed them the keys to a new beginning.

The joy on Miss Sharon’s face. The gratitude they both shared. The emotion felt by everyone standing on that front porch. Our hearts were overflowing.

But the story didn’t end when the keys changed hands.

Months later, there they were—standing together in their own doorway and getting ready to celebrate Christmas inside the home they had fought so hard to return to.

From receiving their keys to making new Christmas memories, these photos tell the story of what recovery truly looks like.

It is more than repairing walls and rebuilding rooms. It is restoring safety, dignity, hope—and giving a family the opportunity to feel at home again.

Miss Sharon and Mr. Darrly, seeing the two of you together in your home is a reminder of why this work matters so deeply. We will never forget the day those doors opened. ❤️

08/26/2026

Y’all… we are getting SO close. ❤️🏠

The drywall dust is still flying, the paint cans aren’t quite put away, and there are a few final touches left - but when we look at these photos, we don’t see a construction site anymore.

We see home.

This family has waited a long time for this moment, and thanks to the partnership between Operation Helo and the Appalachian Disaster Coalition, this week is looking pretty darn promising.

A few final boxes to check. A Certificate of Occupancy to receive.

And then the two words we’ve all been working toward…

WELCOME HOME. ❤️

This is what happens when organizations come together, communities show up and hope turns into action.

08/24/2026

MONDAY MOTIVATION 🚁🇺🇸

Sometimes hope arrives by helicopter.
Sometimes it arrives by truck.
Sometimes it looks like a hot meal, a case of water, a chainsaw, or simply a neighbor willing to show up.

At Operation Helo, we’ve learned that how help arrives matters far less than the fact that someone answered the call.

As we begin a new week, remember:
You don’t have to change the whole world. You just have to be willing to show up for the part of it that needs you.

That’s how communities recover.
That’s how neighbors become family.
And that’s how hope keeps moving.

Bringing Help and Hope from the Skies — and on the ground. 🚁❤️🇺🇸

08/19/2026

Our hearts are with our friends at Mountain Mule Packer Ranch and everyone involved in this heartbreaking search.

We had the privilege of working closely alongside this incredible team in Western North Carolina, and we witnessed firsthand their compassion, strength and unwavering commitment to helping others.

Please join us in praying for this woman’s family and loved ones, as well as the mule teams, K9 teams, handlers and search-and-rescue crews who worked tirelessly to bring her home. 🙏

We love you, Mountain Mule Packer Ranch. Our Operation Helo family is standing with you. ❤️

08/19/2026

What an incredible night in Shelby! 🚁⚾🇺🇸

For the second year, Operation Helo had the honor of flying in and delivering the game ball for the American Legion World Series Championship Game.

It is always a privilege to be part of this special event in City of Shelby, North Carolina. Thank you to the American Legion World Series for welcoming us back—and congratulations to everyone who made another championship week unforgettable!

08/17/2026

Yesterday was World Helicopter Day. 🚁🇺🇸

Today, we’re celebrating the people who make every mission possible.

A helicopter may be a powerful machine—but it takes skilled pilots, dedicated mechanics, flight crews, ground teams and hardworking volunteers to turn it into a lifeline.

These are the people who train, prepare and answer the call. They fly into communities others cannot reach, deliver critical supplies and bring people safely home—not because the mission is easy, but because it matters.

To every pilot, mechanic, crew member, ground team member and volunteer who has served alongside Operation Helo: We are incredibly proud and grateful to have you on this team.

You are the heart behind every mission—and the reason we can continue Bringing Help and Hope from the Skies. 🚁🇺🇸