ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Project DYNAMO, a veteran-led nonprofit organization, which conducts humanitarian search-and-rescue operations domestically and internationally, arrived in western North Carolina Tuesday and launched Operation Rocky Top Riders, a search-and-rescue mission for those stranded by the catastrophic flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
The DYNAMO supply and off-road vehicle convoy departed from Tampa, Florida on Tuesday.
Along the northbound journey, the convoy linked up in Georgia with their specialized drone pilot, a U.S. Army veteran, who will be operating a drone with infrared capabilities to aid in locating missing persons.
On Wednesday, the convoy joined an advance-team of DYNAMO members who have been on the ground in North Carolina since Saturday, and set up their mobile command center on a horse farm just southeast of Asheville.
The team for this operation is made up of personnel from Miami, Boston, Houston, San Antonio and Savannah, Georgia.
Four search-and-rescue horseback riders and seven horses arrived from Florida to join the rest of the team in North Carolina on Wednesday evening. The additional horses will be used to extract survivors from the flood zone.
Additionally, the team is utilizing an Ineos Grenadier, a specialized off-road vehicle, which just became available in the U.S. earlier this year.
The veteran-led team of 16 people is composed of case workers who are processing rescue requests, certified EMTs, horseback riders, off-road vehicle operators, an infrared drone pilot and several other volunteers who are assisting with rescue operations.
The owners of Dream Haven Farm, a horse rescue, training and rehabilitation center in Columbus, North Carolina generously offered their property to Project DYNAMO to serve as DYNAMO’S operational headquarters.
As of Tuesday, at least 600 people remained missing in Buncombe County, where Operation Rocky Top Riders has commenced.
“We have completed the logistical challenge of assembling our team in North Carolina, and have begun carrying out the mission,” said Project DYNAMO’s President and CEO Mario Duarte. “We can already see that our mounted horse posse teams are going to be an unparalleled search-and-rescue asset that will allow us to reach the many places that have not yet received any help since the catastrophic flooding last week. It is a pleasure for DYNAMO to be here doing what we do best – rescuing people from extremely dangerous situations and some of the worst conditions on earth.”
Project DYNAMO is entirely donor funded and veteran-led. Anyone interested in donating to support this effort can do so by visiting projectdynamo.org/donate.
Notably, in 2022, when Hurricane Ian made landfall near Ft. Myers, Florida, Project DYNAMO was the first organization of any kind, public or private, to begin maritime search-and-rescue operations.
To date, DYNAMO has rescued more than 7,000 people from war zones and natural disasters and is the only private organization conducting such rescues.
Founded during the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan in 2021, Project DYNAMO is an international search, rescue, aid and assistance 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Tampa, Florida with worldwide operations. Project DYNAMO operates where the United States government cannot, or does not. The primary objective of Project DYNAMO is to provide assistance to those impacted in disaster areas and conflict zones throughout the world. Notably, Project DYNAMO conducted the first air-rescue missions from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control, and has negotiated the release and exfiltrated numerous Americans from captivity and false imprisonment.