In North Carolina, Aid Arrives the Old-Fashioned Way

Use of mules 'an unprecedented response' to 'an unprecedented storm,' says Gov. Roy Cooper
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 2, 2024 6:47 AM CDT
Mules Bringing Life-Saving Aid in NC
Mules move aid in western North Carolina.   (Mountain Mule Packer Ranch)

Helicopters, military planes, semi-trucks, and mules are helping bring much needed aid to North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Vehicles are carrying the heavy loads, but mules are able to reach areas not accessible by vehicle, including some hard-hit mountainous areas, Axios reports. "This has been an unprecedented storm that has hit western North Carolina. It's requiring an unprecedented response," Gov. Roy Cooper said after taking an aerial tour of the damage near Asheville, per the AP. Mountain Mule Packers said its mules, carrying 200 pounds of supplies each, have delivered food, water, diapers, and other necessities to individuals in the western part of the state. The group helped out in Weaverville on Sunday before moving to Montreat on Tuesday, per Fox News.

A video shared on Facebook Tuesday shows the mules delivering ice to a man in Black Mountain who needs to cool his insulin. According to another post, a family was "in desperate need of insulin, and Mountain Mule Packers was able to get it up this otherwise impassable road," per Fox. Western North Carolina is still battling flooding and washed-out roads, often with no power or cell service. All roads in this part of the state "should be considered closed to all non-emergency travel," the North Carolina Emergency Management Agency said Monday. But "we'll take our chainsaws, and we'll push those mules through," trainer Mike Toberer told the AP. Mountain Mule Packers said it would head toward Swannanoa, "where it is believed 30% of the town's residents are trapped," on Wednesday. (More Hurricane Helene stories.)

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