Rescue Efforts in NC: Mules, Horses and Donkeys to the Rescue

Mules — and donkeys for that matter — are among the most versatile and sure-footed of the animal kingdom, able to negotiate for themselves a means of getting through almost any terrain.

Thus, these docile and friendly animals are being used to rescue people as well as carry supplies into the stricken regions of North Carolina that are virtually unnavigable via any other means.

Hurricane Helene relief: Mules helping to bring supplies to residents in North Carolina | Fox News

It’s one of the most reported stories of those coming out of those areas where the weather has decimated towns and villages, creating an even more difficult situation than the initial devastation — that of starvation for survivors deemed unreachable if for no other reason than that no one knows where they are.

Some 600+ people are reportedly missing following the storms that everything but ‘wiped [Asheville and Chimney Rock] from the map.’

Power of the Pack: Mules Helping Hurricane-Devastated Communities – INSP TV | TV Shows and Movies

They’re virtually gone. The damage is unfathomable. And people are missing in the midst of that tragically altered landscape — which is unlikely to experience any significant change in the very near future.

In other words: those missing may not be found — alive, at least — unless rescuers can find a way to reach them in time. Volunteers and trackers of all types and kinds are needed to do what the donkeys and mules naturally do — maintain their own footings while using a team effort approach to facilitate actual rescue efforts in real time before survivors, some of whom are surely severely injured, perish for lack of assistance.

It’s going to take a massive effort.

There are some 600 miles of complete devastation in North Carolina. Imagine attempting to traverse that wet, muddy and rock-filled landscape with only boots, rain gear and what tools you can carry.

Reports indicate the smell of death now hangs in the air in those regions most affected.

Battles continue over who can reach survivors and what food and supplies they can bring. [Really?!] Potential rescues complain that they’re regularly questioned and threatened for ‘intervening’ in this situation. Meanwhile, FEMA has publicly indicated they don’t have the funding to facilitate the efforts currently needed to curtail the rising death toll.