Gov. Cooper offers update on Helene rescue, recovery efforts

Gov. Roy Cooper provided an update on the emergency response and recovery from Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.

He began by noting the approval of a major disaster declaration for 25 North Carolina counties, as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Documentary starring Haywood SAR Team now online

“Safe and Found,” a documentary featuring the Haywood County Search and Rescue Team, is now available to stream online after its premiere Jan. 20 in Clyde. 

Backcountry guardians: Documentary highlights Haywood SAR’s lifesaving impact, shows hikers how to stay safe

As 23-year-old David Crockett opened his eyes to day two of sub-freezing temperatures in the snow-covered Shining Rock Wilderness, he had no idea that, seven years later, he’d be telling his story on film.

Near to where her soul is: Missing hiker Melissa McDevitt is coming home

Almost exactly a year after a hiker vanished in the backcountry of British Columbia the night before a trip home to Haywood County for Christmas, her remains have been located. 

Up in the air: North Canton Fire Department puts eyes in the sky to save lives

As technology evolves, every entity and industry finds new and innovative ways to use those advances to improve their operations.

Word from the Smokies: Training Essential to Park’s Search and Rescue

On a mid-September morning, 14 men and women gather at an abandoned quarry off U.S. 441 a mile or so south of Sugarlands and confront a vertical stone wall that looms 15 feet above them. The sheer rock face culminates in a gently sloping bench that extends 30 feet before reaching another nearly vertical 15-foot cliff.

Searching for a seeker: The fearless life and tragic disappearance of Melissa McDevitt

Flitting about her apartment on Vancouver Island, Melissa McDevitt had already packed her bag in preparation for the long journey from Canada’s west coast back to Haywood County. 

All hands on deck: New program trains hiking club members to assist SAR missions

When Chad Seger  was reported missing on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, the Haywood County Rescue Squad’s Wilderness Search and Rescue Team deployed immediately to seek the 27-year-old Asheville man in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. But even with rescue crews from across the region joining the effort, day after day went by with no sign of Seger.

An ounce of prevention: Stopping emergencies before they start

For every 116,732 people visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one experiences an emergency and calls the park’s Search and Rescue Team for help. As the park’s popularity increases, so does the urgency of figuring out how to weaken that ratio. 

Safety net: Nonprofit aims to bolster search and rescue ops

It was the fall of 2019, and Bill Zimmerman had just hopped in a truck with other members of the Haywood County Wilderness Search and Rescue Team in response to one of the 21 deployments the crew handled that year. 

“Somebody goes, ‘We don’t even have a gas card. We don’t even have money to put into the truck to get up to the mountain,’” Zimmerman recalled. 

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