POLIBIZ – There is a growing number of claims by clips or texts on social media by civic people trying to rescue and help the victims of Helene storm saying that their activities are hindered or blocked, their donations are confiscated, or even their rescue credits are taken by government personnel. However, FEMA has continuously denied any wrongdoings, and claimed all the accusations as false or misinformation.
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| The private helicopter of Jordan Seidhom and the ones he rescued. Jordan was threatened to be arrested if he conducts further rescue flights. |
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Father and Son helicopter pilots Threatened with arrest after flying rescue missions in flood-ravaged North Carolina.
A South Carolina pilot who flew stranded Hurricane Helene victims in flood-ravaged North Carolina to safety claims he was told he would be arrested if he continued the rescue missions.
Jordan Seidhom was flying victims out of the devastation over the weekend when local leaders told him there was a flight restriction on the area and that they would have to arrest him if he continued making flights.
“There were other victims. As we were flying out leaving the area, we spotted within 300, 400 yards of their location [people] were waving for help as my son and I were leaving,” “I thought, I have a helicopter, maybe I can help,” The father and son, both volunteer firefighters, flew four victims to safety on Saturday, including two women stranded at the top of a mountain and two vacationers trapped inside their Airbnb.
“They only had one day of supplies, which was gone by Saturday. They didn’t have any food, water, no running water, no power. And we were coming back this direction anyway, so we actually took them to Charlotte-Douglas Airport and they were able to fly home from there,” Seidhom said.
After sleeping in recliners in a pilot lounge at a nearby airport, the father and son went back out on Sunday and found a husband and wife who waved them down from their partially washed-away home. Only equipped with his small helicopter, Seidhom had his son exit the aircraft to make room for the wife, whom he flew to a group of first responders about three minutes away.
“I originally left my son, co-pilot, on the side of the mountain. [The helicopter] was kind of unstable, so I didn’t want to put more weight on the helicopter to lift it back off. So, I left my son with the other victim. And I was just going to take one person down at the time,” Seidhom said.
An unnamed Lake Lure fire official, who allegedly threatened to have him arrested if he continued picking up stranded victims. The fire official reiterated his threat to arrest Seidhom if he were to get the other victim and fly him to the first responders.
“I can only imagine what the people were thinking. You’ve been stranded for 24, 36 hours. No way to speak with anyone. You don’t know what’s going on and you see a lifeline fly over and they keep going.
I can only imagine what they were thinking.”
