Texas volunteers save hundreds of people in North Carolina

CrowdSource Rescue was founded when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017. The group is now coordinating volunteer search and rescue operations in hard-hit areas.

HOUSTON – In the wake of Hurricane Helene, a Houston-based search and rescue group has located hundreds of people in North Carolina's hardest-hit communities.

More than 100 CrowdSource Rescue volunteers responded to the storm, which left nearly 200 people dead.

Principal Lor Garza Dykes told KHOU 11 the requests for help are urgent.

“I get a lot of direct stories: 'I still miss my daughter, I haven't heard from my son,'” she said. “It reminds me of Hurricane Harvey, where the need was so immediate. You’re on the phone with a loved one and the call just drops out.”

CrowdSource Rescue was founded in 2017 when flooding from Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area. According to their website, they have since saved over 65,000 people across the country.

The organization uses mapping technology to pinpoint areas where people need welfare checks, rescues and even debris removal. So far, the organization reports that its volunteers have rescued or conducted welfare checks on at least 600 people in North Carolina.

“We're still finding little clusters of 'Oh my God, there's at least three here that haven't heard from anyone,' and it's been confirmed that we need to go there,” Garza Dykes said. “We have fast water divers, we have boats, but a lot of the work is on foot, we have some volunteers on dirt bikes and ATVs.

The terrain in the affected region also posed a challenge for the volunteers.

“Specifically in North Carolina, where we focus, there are a lot of mountains and a lot of people who live in those mountains, and it's harsh. People are blocked by fallen trees and can’t get out,” Garza Dykes explained.

Organization leaders said the volunteers will remain in North Carolina for at least another week.

Anyone interested in volunteering can visit the CrowdSource Rescue website.

“Volunteers come from all over the county, it’s amazing,” Garza Dykes said. “If someone is capable and self-sufficient to be out there, on questionable terrain and questionable roads in some situations, they can be helpful.”

If you are unable to volunteer but would like to help, you can find the link to donate here.