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Photos: Army uses tactical vehicles to bring supplies to hard-hit NC mountains after Helene

By Travis Long
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, move up a dirt track road in an Infantry Squad Vehicles while delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, move up a dirt track road in an Infantry Squad Vehicles while delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com

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Troops from the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault Division used lightweight all-terrain vehicles Tuesday, Oct. 9, to deliver supplies out of Maggie Valley, N.C. into areas in and around Soco Gap, N.C. isolated by flooding from Helene.

The soldiers, from the division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, traveled up narrow dirt roads in Infantry Squad Vehicles while delivering water, food, toiletries and other aid to residents.

The unit is deployed as part of the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps response to Helene, which caused massive damage and dozens of deaths in landslides and flooding.

Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, help volunteers distribute water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, help volunteers distribute water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, help volunteers distribute water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, help volunteers distribute water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
A Maggie Valley resident thanks soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who were delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
A Maggie Valley resident thanks soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who were delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, rides in an Infantry Squad Vehicles while delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, rides in an Infantry Squad Vehicles while delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, use Infantry Squad Vehicles to deliver water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, rides in an Infantry Squad Vehicles while delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene.
A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, rides in an Infantry Squad Vehicles while delivering water, food, toiletries, and other aid to residents in the Soco Gap community in Maggie Valley on Tuesday, October. 8, 2024. The team has been using the Maggie Valley Pavilion and Town Hall as a distribution base for relief efforts in the town following Tropical Storm Helene. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com

This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 10:45 AM.

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Hurricane Helene Aftermath

Hurricane Helene swept across the Southeast, causing major flooding and destruction throughout North Carolina. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer about Hurricane Helene and the aftermath, particularly in Western North Carolina.

Back to Story