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Among the many headed south in support of Hurricane Helene relief efforts are members of the Suffolk Police Department and Suffolk Fire Rescue.

City Manager Al Moor said during Wednesday’s city council meeting that 19 of Suffolk’s Public Safety Staff are headed to western North Carolina to the Asheville area: 15 Suffolk Fire and Rescue and four Suffolk Police Department personnel – two being communication operators and two patrol personnel.

“As you know, we host the Regional Communication bus. So that’s one element that they really needed out there, because their communications is basically non-existent,” Moor said. “…these folks have stepped up to the plate to go assist. Of course, the request came from the state to all communities. With that request, it came in to us and us having that communication bus and some of the other facilities that we have or equipment that we have, working with them, I just think back to when we had the tornado and people asking what they can do for us.”

Chief of Police James Buie provided more details from the SPD side. Buie says they received the request through conference calls through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM).

“We wanted to focus in on Southwest Virginia. Because the assets needed there at the time were personnel and not so much equipment and more equipment was needed in North Carolina,” Buie said. “So the fire department put boots on the ground in North Carolina to see what was needed and where we went forward from there. And we were originally slated to send two dispatchers…a sergeant and a police officer and a dispatch supervisor and a dispatcher to Southwest Virginia.”

Buie said they contacted SPD back, noting that personnel wasn’t so much needed in Southwest Virginia and with Moor’s confirmation, Buie sent SPD personnel to North Carolina.

“So when our personnel get to North Carolina, they’ll have a place to report. So it’s just not confusing on where to go. And they’ll do a 14 day deployment. They’ll stay for 14 days and we’re sending the resources down there with them for them to self suffice,” Buie said. “We don’t want to go down there and be a burden to put another mouth to feed, or more water to drink. So we’re carrying all of our own, carrying a lot of MRE [Meals Ready to Eat]s, which some people that are probably getting figured out that’s not the best food in the world, but it is life sustaining and it will allow them to get the protein and stuff they need.”

Along with water and toiletries, Buie says SPD is loading their two vehicles to send in their group on Friday morning to assist with the situation.

“We’ll contact them once a day to make sure they’re okay, to make sure that you know, that they’re secure and that they’re taken care of. So that’s where we’re at at this moment,” Buie ended.

Moor followed that SFR personnel are setting up to help operate in the command center in the Black Mountain area. Duman gave comments following the report.

“I’ve learned over a time, and I think everybody understands is that, as Americans we can have our disagreements on a daily basis, sometimes an hourly basis, but [we] always seem to come together in a time of a crisis,” Duman said. “Everybody’s on the same side, and there’s nothing different and that’s one of the things that makes our country great.”