North Shore Hurricane Relief Efforts Deliver 2 Weeks After Catastrophic Storms Hit

BEVERLY, MA — Two weeks after 45 members of the Beverly-based Massachusetts Task Force 1 urban search-and-rescue team were deployed to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene support efforts, the nearly four dozen regional emergency services workers remained in the Tar Heel state as Beverly firefighters delivered two large trucks full of supplies to the beleaguered region this weekend.

Task Force 1, along with two Federal Emergency Management Agency K9 Strike teams and the Wake Forest Fire Swift Water team, conducted combination boat- and land-based searches along the river in Madison County on Sunday, according to MA Task Force 1 spokesperson Thomas Gatzunis.

The MA Task Force 1 unit also teamed with the Los Angeles County Fire Department K9 team out of California for search-and-rescue operations along a 4-mile stretch of the French Broad River.

Massachusetts Task Force 1 also sent two additional members to Florida to help with Hurricane Milton relief efforts.

Those deplaoyed in North Carolina are set to return to Beverly on Friday morning.

There are still up to 100 people considered missing in North Carolina and tens of thousands of residents without power more than two weeks after the Category 4 hurricane raged through the South, killing more than 300 people and isolating millions from food and utilities.

Beverly firefighters last week set up a donation drive for supplies with hopes of then driving a truck to North Carolina for delivery over the weekend.

Calling the response "unfathomable," Beverly firefighters were able to collect, sort, and prepare for the transport enough items to fill a 16-foot box truck and a 26-foot box truck.

"Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped organize the event and the donated goods," Beverly fire posted on its social media account. "The generosity of everyone who donated kept them extremely busy. Thanks to all of the businesses that helped us by transporting goods that donors weren't able to get here, or donated goods on their own.

"Thanks to the people from all walks of life who gave everything they could knowing that people down South are desperate right now and need it more than we do."

Lt. Mike Kraus organized the effort and made the delivery to North Carolina along with five other volunteers. The 16-hour trip delivered the goods to a dedicated collection point in western North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The firefighters spent the day sorting the items and helping efforts there before heading back to Massachusetts. They were set to arrive back in Beverly early this week.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)