North Raleigh Today

The Raleigh Fire Department was quick to respond as Hurricane Helene approached the mountains. The first team of firefighters departed for Haywood County as part of the state’s Task Force 8 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, providing crucial assistance in evacuations and rescues. Following this, three more USAR teams rotated through, with the most recent team stationed in Mitchell County. Additionally, a group of eight firefighters traveled to Buncombe County shortly after the storm to relieve Asheville firefighters.

The Raleigh-Wake 9-1-1 Center played a significant role on the morning Helene hit, with 34 telecommunicators handling over 1500 calls within three hours. These calls were rerouted from western North Carolina, where telecommunicators provided hope amidst distressing cries for help. Since then, three telecommunicators have gone west to assist their counterparts.

In support of law enforcement and recovery efforts, nearly 40 members of the Raleigh Police Department are stationed in the Black Mountain area. This deployment will continue until another group of officers arrives to take over their duties.

Raleigh Water prioritized restoring water systems in mountain communities by dispatching a convoy loaded with essential supplies like 50 tons of pipes. Five employees were involved in this initial relief effort, followed by a second crew sent to assist further.

Seven inspectors from Raleigh Planning and Development were deployed to Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, and Black Mountain. They joined other inspectors statewide and assessed 4,000 homes and businesses over six days.

To help cope with trauma experienced due to devastation in western North Carolina, Teddy the therapy dog from the Raleigh Police Department visited both the Raleigh-Wake 9-1-1 Center and Hendersonville to provide comfort to first responders.