SWANNANOA, N.C. — For the past month, retired veteran Adam Smith has been on a mission of hope, flying supplies to families left with nothing in Western North Carolina. Using helicopters and an army of volunteers, Smith has been delivering much-needed aid to a region devastated by Hurricane Helene.
It all began with a personal mission. Smith couldn’t get ahold of his daughter and her mother, who were trapped in Black Mountain with no cell service or way to check in. Desperate, he drove up from Texas.
"I'm preparing myself for the worst. It's very likely that they're dead. The house is only about 30 or 40 yards from the river, and the Broad River is the river that flowed down and took out Bat Cave and Chimney Rock. I don't think there's ever been a moment where I've been more terrified, or afraid, and I wouldn't wish that on anybody."
Fortunately, they were alive, and a helicopter reunited them. But what began as a family rescue grew into a full-scale operation. Smith's organization, Savage Freedoms, set up at an Asheville Harley-Davidson dealership, helping other families in need. In just a month, his team of a thousand volunteers has flown over 800,000 pounds of supplies on privately owned helicopters.
"It was nothing less than miraculous. Things would show up—we needed water, it would be there. Insulin would show up. We needed to do a medical evacuation off a mountain top, and a helicopter would show up."
Every day, helicopters have been making trips to towns across the region, each landing revealing the devastation left in Helene's wake.
"It's impossible to translate the reality on the ground through photo or video. Thirty-four-inch pipes, main water supply pipes buried 22 feet under the ground, were torn out for miles from the reservoirs. It's really hard to put into words the effect and impact when you see it."
Despite cleanup efforts underway, Smith says his mission is far from over.
"The communities don't want Western North Carolina to become a footnote in the chronicles of history. We have a mission, and I made a promise that we're not leaving until rebuilding and reconstruction is well underway, and we’ve helped them get back on their feet."
Smith and Savage Freedoms aren't packing up; they're shifting focus to rebuilding homes and businesses. They’ll remain until Western North Carolina is strong once more—and never forgotten.
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