ROCHESTER, N.Y. — New York state is sending the National Guard to help those affected by Hurricane Helene.

What You Need To Know

  • New York state is sending the National Guard to help those affected by Hurricane Helene

  • Sixteen New York Army National Guard Soldiers deployed

  • Three CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopters are in use  

On Sunday, soldiers, generators and helicopters took flight to the Carolinas. The team left from Rochester.

Sixteen New York Army National Guard Soldiers and three Chinook helicopters are helping the victims of the hurricane in North and South Carolina.

Those Chinooks are helping reach those areas that are completely isolated because of the flood waters.

The CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter is a mighty machine.

“If you go as far as the rotor system, that’s what we go by, so it’s 100 feet long by 60 feet wide,” said CH-47 pilot, Commander of the Army Aviation Support Facility in Rochester and Aviation Operations Officer for the 42nd Infantry Division Lt. Col. Eric Fritz.

He described the features of the Chinook.

“Floors are designed to load pallets so they can load pallets with a forklift," he said. "There's also a winch that's up front that you can use to help pull the pallets in if they're unable to utilize a forklift.”

There are seven Chinooks at Rochester’s Army Aviation Support Facility in Rochester. Three are now deployed. They are heavy lift helicopters that provide general airlift assistance in moving people and cargo to support the North Carolina National Guard.

“Right now, because a lot of the areas are stranded [and] because of the washed away roads and bridges and this has the capability to carry a lot more cargo and packs than pretty much any other cargo in the United States,” said Lt. Col. Fritz.

The Chinooks are so large, each can hold 33 passengers and as much as 18,000 pounds of cargo.

On Sunday of the Chinooks and the soldiers took flight on the mission with less than 24 hours’ notice.

“I would say it's, pretty, pretty commendable," he said. "We had 16 soldiers that received the call on Saturday at 3 p.m. They dropped everything they were doing. They got here Sunday morning and were on their way to North Carolina by 1:30 in the afternoon on Sunday.”

This is what they train for.

For now, the mission will last seven days, but, if necessary, the team will stay longer.