CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR/Gray News) – Eric Walden usually picks up and drops off private passengers at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport in Virginia, but when Hurricane Helen hits North Carolina, That’s when I thought my TBM 900 could help.
“It seemed like the perfect time to do something right,” Walden said.
The Waldens put out a message on Monday asking for donations.
“Within 24 hours, hundreds of people messaged, called, emailed and shared on Facebook,” Walden said. “It spread quickly.”
Pilots are helping people and pets in need after distress caused by Helen’s floods.
Due to the outpouring of support, Walden’s planes were often full.
“Everyone came from everywhere because they saw a need,” Walden said. “That’s what we do. That’s what Americans do. We’re here to help.”
By Thursday morning, supplies were loaded and the plane departed.
This is a two-part mission. While in North Carolina, they emptied the plane and brought home 22 cats.
The White House announced immediate funding for debris removal and emergency response efforts in North Carolina and Georgia. (CNN, FOX News, Getty, X, Pool)
Gina Proulx, a volunteer with Troy-based Green Dogs Unleashed, takes several kittens and their mother cat’s kennel to Spotsylvania. That’s how she helps.
“Rescue services left and right in the area are currently not only inoperative, they have been destroyed,” Proulx said. “I mean, what can we do for Asheville? They’ve been destroyed. That’s the least we can do.”
The cats need to grow up a little more. Then it will be time to find a new, safer home. Eventually, there will be a list of foster homes available on the Green Dogs Unleashed website.
“We don’t have any adopters for these cats yet, so we definitely need them, and they’re cute,” Proulx said.
There’s more to come too. Once the batch of cats were off the plane, Walden returned to Asheville to pick up another shipment.
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