An hour after leaving Elizabeth City, North Carolina, the swollen Cape Fear river comes into view, clear blue sky reflected up between rows of submerged crops.
Nearly 20 U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Black hawks were strapped down in Elizabeth City before Hurricane Florence came through and swamped much of the southeastern portion of the state.
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U.S. Coast Guard MH-60s burn about 1,200 pounds of fuel an hour. This helicopter will refuel at a local airport before returning to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, for relief efforts in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence.
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U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers aboard an MH-60 Black Hawk use GPS to find addresses forwarded to them from 911 calls during relief efforts amid Hurricane Florence in North Carolina.
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U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 surveying destruction and participating in ongoing rescue efforts amid Hurricane Florence’s devastation in North Carolina.
Now the Coast Guard helicopters are sharing crowded skies with Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawks, all hovering over slow-moving floodwaters, doing what helicopters do best — saving people from situations where other vehicles cannot go.
Setting out with about 5,500 pounds of fuel, the Jayhawk burned through half that by the time the team started looking for folks to rescue.
A half day’s work included lifting 20 adults, two kids and three dogs from inaccessible areas to relative safety.