Disaster relief – or compounding?

Western North Carolina continues to be a disaster area, while areas in other States that experienced Hurricane Helene, are recovering. That alone would speak of an unprecedented level of confusion on the ground. But now a particularly disturbing incident has raised a serious question of whether the federal government is deliberately punishing western North Carolina for supporting an opposition candidate. At the same time, private relief efforts are readily eclipsing the government efforts, to a degree not seen in centuries.

Is the government compounding the disaster?

Late Sunday night an incident occurred that casts serious doubt on the good faith of the federal government. Nor does the report come in from a disgruntled group famous for entertaining “conspiracy theories.” It comes from the United Cajun Navy, an experienced aquatic, marine and air militia that specializes in disaster relief. (Elements of the United Cajun Navy are already in position south of Tampa Bay, anticipating the landfall of Hurricane Milton.)

At 4:33 a.m. EDT yesterday, X user TheTexasOne shared a TikTok video from another user calling herself “megsnbacn.” She alleges that a Blackhawk helicopter, without markings, with two men in military gear in the pilots’ seats, descended to a too-low level over a Cajun Navy distribution site in Burnsville, North Carolina. So low did this helicopter descend that the rotor wash ruined much of the supplies that were waiting for distribution. (Rotor wash is the artificial wind that a helicopter’s rotors make, usually upon take-off and landing. Police helicopter pilots sometimes use their rotor wash to blind a suspect with dust, to aid in his apprehension.) Worse, their actions injured several volunteers on the ground at the site.

This afternoon [of Sunday, October 6], an Unmarked Military Style Helo flies into the local distribution area and rotor washes/destroys supplies in Burnsville, NC. We had a meeting with all parties involved at this site and established it as a “no-fly, no-drop” zone hours before and had sent crews to re-supply helos at another area. THIS WAS NOT ONE OF OUR HELOS!

They flew in and hovered around for a bit looking like they wanted to land despite our hand signals telling them no. Then they dipped down and performed a “rotor wash” which seemed deliberate… then flew off… destroying a lot of the staging area and harming the people directly below them in the staging area. I was conducting a K9 security sweep across the parking lot…

This helo was unmarked and we were able to zoom in and see masked persons.… Who flies unmarked helos like this? (Special forces or private contractors…… )

Local [police department] came in and we’ve been trying to find/track their flight info to find out who they are and where they flew in from… nothing… they’re ghosts…

40 minutes prior to this 2 unmarked black SUVs running blue lights rolled in, circled around and immediately left. They were not local [law enforcement] and not anyone we had been affiliated with…

They could CLEARLY see the supply setup, blue tents, etc. and see that this was NOT a clear landing zone. So who were they? Why did they do this?

For those in my previous videos saying I am “spreading lies” … THIS is the reality and what is happening in areas all over NC. I am seeing it with my own eyes. If you are not boots on the ground and risking your safety to help those in need despite efforts of people like this trying to thwart our mission… you don’t get to say what is a “lie.” This is being investigated and we are trying to find out who this was, and why!

Why? pic.twitter.com/pVb2eSEFEI— TheTexasOne (@TexasRepublic71) October 7, 2024

The United Cajun Navy official account “quoted” this post and added their own statement:

We’ve officially found our first free swamp tour customer! So whoever the douche nozzle was that deliberately rotor washed the Burnsville POD, this was a hostile act that broke a $hitload of really good @FAANews laws! You can clearly see our logo on the supplies! Good luck trying to remain anonymous, we’ll be in touch soon! 🖕💪🐊 #CajunNavy

We've officially found our first free swamp tour customer! So whoever the douche nozzle was that deliberately rotor washed the Burnsville POD, this was a hostile act that broke a $hitload of really good @FAANews laws! You can clearly see our logo on the supplies! Good luck trying… https://t.co/sBxSTWy7jU— United Cajun Navy (@Unitedcajunnavy) October 7, 2024

Oh, and the video is real. We were getting texts in real time from terrified volunteers.

Oh, and the video is real. We were getting texts in real time from terrified volunteers. pic.twitter.com/6FWFzmAxpj— United Cajun Navy (@Unitedcajunnavy) October 7, 2024

The text dialog runs as follows:

Q: Is any of the stuff ucn owns damaged. Aka. Is your freezer, generator and starlink ok? Or do I need to replace for u asap[?]

A: Starlink somehow survived. I’m going through it now.

Further details, and a debate

This morning, two reports came in from Jared Harris of The Western Journal and Cullen Linebarger of The Gateway Pundit. Losses, fortunately, were limited to a few pop-up shelters and other supplies blown away from their pallets. The worst problem is that flying anything further than your back yard, without proper markings, does break many aviation laws.

One observer suggested the helicopter did have markings, but faulted the pilots for “lack of situational awareness.”

It was marked, unfortunately the lack of situational awareness by the pilot and uninformed observers on the ground made this video become sensationalized. Tell me you’re an invalid without telling me you’re an invalid.

It was marked, unfortunately the lack of situational awareness by the pilot and uninformed observers on the ground made this video become sensationalized. Tell me you’re an invalid without telling me you’re an invalid. pic.twitter.com/MmZfxiqTjP— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) October 7, 2024

But another user suggested the one trying to apologize for those pilots, might have misidentified the aircraft.

I did 3 playbacks of all H60 aircraft over Burnsville and none were captured circling the city including that parking lot. Only one H60 (AFR486) crossed the lot but just kept going so, the bird in question must have had its transponders off. I didn’t see FURY187 ever cross over.

I did 3 playbacks of all H60 aircraft over Burnsville and none were captured circling the city including that parking lot. Only one H60 (AFR486) crossed the lot but just kept going so, the bird in question must have had its transponders off. I didn't see FURY187 ever cross over. pic.twitter.com/vzcEoWSQQk— GoferZeroSix (@GoferZeroSix) October 7, 2024

Given that account, “lack of situational awareness” becomes a far less likely explanation. A Rumble user also captured footage of this rogue helicopter.

Other examples of private response

The United Cajun Navy is not the only private disaster response organization now active in western North Carolina. Last night CNAV shared an eyewitness account listing five other organizations operating in the zone and/or accepting donations. They are Western North Carolina Red Cross, Chabad Charlotte, Hearts With Hands, Mercury One, and Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse is The Rev. Franklin Graham’s organization. Most will remember them for their annual Christmas “Shoebox Ministry” that lets interested people pack boxes of toys for indigent children worldwide. But now they are on the ground in western North Carolina, not merely accepting donations but distributing them as well. In fact, Boone, North Carolina, hosts the organization’s international headquarters.

According to Randy DeSoto of The Western Journal, Phil “Dr. Phil” McGraw recently traveled to the disaster area. He has seen Samaritan’s Purse’ work first-hand, and rates it far superior to that of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Let me tell you, these [Samaritan’s Purse] guys don’t have meetings to fill out forms to plan a meeting to get something going. They have verbs in their sentences. They have springs in their step, and they’re out making things happen.

Dr. Phil has left two posts on X that give the most information, one last Saturday, and the other yesterday.

My team at Merit Street and I have teamed up with Samaritan’s Purse and our friends at Michaels Stores [a chain of arts-and-crafts supplies stores] to deliver supplies, generators, and a helping hand to people affected by the hurricane. A special thanks to Tim Kennedy [a deactivated Marine] for getting us moving in the right direction. A lot of great people doing a lot of great things down here. We are happy to help and keep this story alive.

My team at @MeritStreet and I have teamed up with @SamaritansPurse and our friends at @MichaelsStores to deliver supplies, generators, and a helping hand to people affected by the hurricane. A special thanks to @TimKennedyMMA for getting us moving in the right direction. A lot… pic.twitter.com/fVzHsi47bo— Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) October 6, 2024

People are stranded out there with no way to contact emergency services, doctors, any other kind of help, or loved ones. Thanks to Elon Musk, Mike Coryell from Starlink and the Samaritan’s Purse team, we were able to put a lot of people back in contact with the world. Stay tuned for more updates. A special thanks to Michaels Stores for their contributions to the mission.

People are stranded out there with no way to contact emergency services, doctors, any other kind of help, or loved ones. Thanks to @elonmusk, @mikecoryell from @Starlink and the @SamaritansPurse team, we were able to put a lot of people back in contact with the world. Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/WtP3Xtia9o— Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) October 7, 2024

The Samaritan’s Purse team has a fleet of 10 helicopters, including a few Blackhawks they have leased. They also are connecting with local churches and volunteer fire departments to distribute the supplies they’re bringing in. The marked Blackhawk helicopters one person observed at Burnsville could belong to Samaritan’s Purse. They’ve set up a satellite base in Burnsville.

A new model for disaster response?

This last recalls Donald Trump taking charge and buying and bringing in his own disaster relief supplies. He explicitly partnered with Samaritan’s Purse last week. Apart from Trump running to be President again, this is a shining example of private disaster relief efforts. Note also that Samaritan’s Purse, Mercury One, et al. do not discriminate, on any basis, when extending aid. In contract, FEMA specifically has issued orders to serve white people last. Wayne Allen Root, assistant editor of The Gateway Pundit, put that into sobering perspective today.

That incident involving the unmarked Blackhawk helicopter raises questions that go beyond that of negligence and incompetence. It suggests intentional and malicious destruction of necessary aid.

So this episode already teaches the following lessons:

1. Free people do not rely on the government for disaster relief; they provide their own.
2. Private first response might be just as “necessary to the security of a free State” as is a war-capable militia.
3. The federal government is trying to claim credit where credit is not due.
4. The only way to stop these clumsy (or worse) federal actions is with your vote.