As millions of Americans celebrated Thanksgiving this week, volunteers from throughout the nation were busy providing relief to those displaced by Hurricane Helene.
FITSNews accompanied members of Operation Anchor during a search and rescue (SAR) mission led by Diane Carter and her six-year-old cadaver dog, Jacob George.
"It was a scene from hell," Carter said, offering her initial reaction to Helene's deluge on September 27, 2024. "People were laying everywhere... It was the worst I've ever seen, and I worked New Orleans after Katrina."
Come Thanksgiving morning, members of True Hope Disaster Relief called Carter to Buck Hill Campground in Spruce Pine, N.C. -- where a 22-foot storm surge engulfed the riverside park two months earlier.
"There were 54 campers here when the storm hit," said True Hope's founder, Travis Abbott. "A husband and wife were lost from the campground. The female was found six miles upriver. We haven't found the male."
After several hours of probing motorhomes scattered across the North Toe River, Carter concluded that Buck Hill's missing male was not on site or anywhere nearby. He remains unaccounted for as of this publishing.
"It's tragedy everywhere you look," concluded Carter. "I hope no one ever has to see what Jacob and I have seen in North Carolina... We've seen hundreds of bodies. The numbers aren't adding up."
Anyone interested in donating time, money or additional resources to Helene-related relief efforts are encouraged to visit OperationAnchor.org.
This story may be updated.
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.