WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – After seeing and hearing about the catastrophic impact Hurricane Helene had on western North Carolina, Brad Nuznoff had the realization that he could play a role in helping.

Over the weekend, Nuznoff fired out texts to members of the Port City Aviators Flying Club and others who keep planes at the Aero Center adjacent to Wilmington International Airport.

The end result: a day spent collecting supplies donated by community members, which were then flown out over several trips to Asheville. A large trailer full of needed supplies headed to Statesville Sunday night, and more planes will make the trip to Asheville over the coming days, club vice president James Lancaster said.

“We have the ability to put them in planes with wings and land them places where roads aren’t available,” Nuznoff said. “So, I saw a need, and we have the capability.”

The pilots set up at 9:30 a.m., and within an hour, a line of cars full of essential items lined up on Flightline Rd. People donated pounds of food, water, pet essentials and anything else they thought could help victims across the state. The supplies filled trucks, rooms inside the building and several smaller planes.

Pilot Patrick Artemisio said they received 10 times the amount of supplies they were originally expecting.

“If my family, my friends, were out there, what would I want somebody else to do for them? If they had the ability, what would I want them to do? I have the ability, I have the means, so I’m gonna try to help them out,” he said hours before flying one of his planes to Asheville.

Still, the amount of damage the storm caused, estimated to be around $100 billion, means there’s more work to be done.

“We’re trying our best to get everything we can, but I don’t know if it’s gonna be enough,” Artemisio said. “There might be too many people out there for the amount of supplies we have right now, so any more donations we can get would obviously be a very good thing for them.”

For a first step, though, Sunday was certainly a success.

“I mean this is just ridiculous,” Nuznoff said, as he looked at the line of cars waiting to drop off. “This is an amazing outpour from the community.”

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