Tennessee National Guard troops assigned to the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Knoxville prepared three UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters and crew for aerial rescue operations on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. They came to the aid of more than 50 patients and staff stranded at Unicoi County Hospital due to flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. (Teri Eicher/Tennessee National Guard)

The Tennessee National Guard helped rescue more than 50 patients and staff stranded on the rooftop of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tenn., on Friday because of severe flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.

Fifteen Tennessee National Guard troops assigned to the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Knoxville departed Joint Base McGhee-Tyson with UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters to conduct a joint rescue mission with the Virginia State Police. At 3:08 p.m. CDT, all stranded patients and staff members were rescued and transported to a local high school.

Four light tactical vehicles with the Tennessee Guard also departed from Johnson City and Unicoi County to traverse flooded areas and assist in water rescue operations.

“Our priority is to rapidly deploy to the affected areas and assist emergency responders with rescue operations,” said Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s adjutant general. “We are monitoring the situation and prepared to support as long as needed to ensure the safety of our fellow Tennesseans.”

The Air Force evacuated aircraft from several Florida and Georgia bases on Wednesday, and some 3,300 Florida National Guard troops prepared to respond as Hurricane Helene bore down on the state’s Gulf Coast. National Guard units in Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina were prepared to help out in potential emergencies and with cleanup in the aftermath.

“Our National Guardsmen are trained and ready to support the citizens of South Carolina,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Robin B. Stilwell, South Carolina National Guard director of the joint staff. “Our efforts are focused on assisting county and state agencies.”

Helene made landfall late Thursday along a largely undeveloped expanse of pine trees and salt marshes on Florida’s Big Bend coast, but it immediately displayed its far-reaching power several hundred miles away. As of Sunday morning, at least 64 people were confirmed killed.

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 1221st Engineer Company, 122nd Engineer Battalion, South Carolina Army National Guard traveled to North Augusta, S.C., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, to help clear blocked roads and downed power lines in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Karla Evans/South Carolina National Guard)