GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two Grand Rapids first responders are helping in any way they can in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Grand Rapids Fire Department Captains Curtis Walsh and Josh Veldkamp have joined dozens of others as part of the Michigan Task Force 1 to help people down south.
“We ended up leaving on September 26 with a group of 19 of us, and took the trip down to North Carolina,” said Capt. Veldkamp.
The task force is a deployable rescue team that includes a team of engineers, physicians, and crane operators, and more.
The team is recognized by FEMA and is deployed when disasters hit, like the one down south.
“There is a lot of devastation through the whole area, with utilities and roadways and people's homes that are just completely destroyed, lives that are torn up from what they were just a few days ago,” said Capt. Veldkamp.
Capt. Velkamp and Capt. Walsh has been deployed to the Chimney Rock area.
“There's people still trapped in their homes, and we have gone door to door and gained access to those structures, searching each structure, house by house, checking for people that may still be here, seeking shelter, or if they've evacuated,” said Capt. Walsh.
The two say they’ve also joined other fire departments in the area to help with water rescues and cutting through harsh terrain to gain access to remote areas that haven’t been searched.
It’s an experience Veldkamp says has been eye-opening.
“It's a totally different perspective you have once you come down here and see the actual damage versus just pictures that you can see online or videos. It's a town that was thriving before, and it's now completely gone,” said Capt. Veldkamp.
And while the process of getting things back to normal in this area will be a long one, they say they are happy to help in any way they can.