A regiment of the Connecticut National Guard and an urban search and rescue team have been deployed to North Carolina to assist with that state’s recovery from the Hurricane Helene disaster.

Governor Ned Lamont announced today that the Connecticut Army National Guard’s 1-169th Aviation Regiment mobilized at Windsor Locks on Friday morning and deployed to North Carolina, providing a CH-47 Chinook helicopter and flight crew to assist the North Carolina National Guard.

The governor said a team of eight state and local volunteers specially trained in search and rescue, including swiftwater rescue, departed Connecticut on Friday evening in a mission coordinated by the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The team recently returned from a similar mission in Vermont.

Both deployments are expected to last one week, and take place under the auspices of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a nationwide system that provides states with the ability to request lifesaving resources when the need arises.

“This compact enables states to provide assistance to each other during times of emergency and crisis, and Connecticut stands ready to help our friends in North Carolina respond to the impacts of Hurricane Helene,” said Governor Lamont.

Mutual utility aid

Meanwhile, Eversource is sending about 40 line crews and 20 support personnel to assist Appalachian Power in Virginia as part of the energy industry’s mutual aid network.

To balance the number of resources remaining at home, one line crew will be sent to Virginia on Sunday morning from each work center in the three states Eversource serves: Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

“This is how mutual aid works,” said Eversource chairman, CEO and president Joe Nolan. “This is what utilities do after a devastating storm — we show up for each other in times of need.”

“There have been many times we’ve had to bring in resources from other utilities around the country to support communities in our states after a devastating storm. Now it’s our turn to help our fellow utility companies.”

Editor’s Note: This article was revised on September 28 to include the information about Eversource support for Virginia.