MIDDLETOWN — A local skydiving company is helping those impacted by Hurricane Helene.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Start Skydiving is a family business in Middletown that’s owned by two brothers and their father.
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With many roads still blocked or washed away, the owners thought their plane could come in handy.
Co-owner John Hart said they posted to social media last week calling on their community to help those impacted by the hurricane, but never thought it would gain this much attention.
“I think originally the plan was for us to take donations for like, about a week, and then hopefully we’ve gathered enough stuff to send down a plane or two or three. Well, by Thursday, we had enough to send three planes,” Hart said.
Within the first three days, Hart said their business sent nine planes and several trailers full of supplies to Tennessee.
“We’ve been flying into various different airports, originally we’re flying into Asheville, and that changed into a different airport, but where the ultimate destination is a place called Escada Mountain City, and they have an airport there,” Hart said. “That area cannot be accessed by road right now and so there actually staging helicopters out of that area to then fly it to areas that can be reached.”
Hart said a road reopened a few days ago, allowing only mission-critical vehicles through.
“We’re working with a team of people down there,” Hart said. “People have lost everything man. It’s devastating, it is heartbreaking.”
Which is why their family business has been paying out of pocket to send supplies.
“We don’t want to run ourselves out of business but at the same time, we’ll do everything we can to help people out,” Hart said. “We will take donations as long as they keep needing things.”
Hart said another trailer full of water, food, diapers, generators, chainsaws, and more will be towed to Tennessee Tuesday morning.
He said they will continue to do this as long as people need it.
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