Aid from every level of government is flowing into Western North Carolina, and the city of Baltimore plans to be on that list.

The city has an emergency crew at the ready, specifically emergency dispatchers, who will provide relief to local crews that have been working around the clock since Hurricane Helene hit the region Friday, said Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace during a news conference.

“This request… is a bit unique. It's normally, emergency response, boots on the ground,” said Wallace. “This is a technical team. They have a specific mission when they go down there, and that's to maintain 911, and radio traffic capability.”

Wallace expects the team to be dispatched down to Asheville or a nearby mountain community.

“They need a break, so we need to come in seamlessly and assume that role as telecommunicator for the 911 system,” said the city’s fire chief.

Wallace said the state of North Carolina has requested emergency help through a program called the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a federal mutual aid agreement that allows states to share resources during both natural and man-made disasters. It’s routine for Baltimore, said Wallace, noting that the city also sent manpower to impacted communities after Hurricane Florence in 2018.

Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s “Big Bend” region Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. While the coast suffered destruction and record storm surges, some of the worst devastation took place in the mountains of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, where heavy rains and wind caused massive flooding and mudslides. Officials are still working on recovery efforts while water and power is yet to be restored in much of Western North Carolina.

Wallace shared that while the request for help has been made, officials down in North Carolina still have yet to finalize the call on their end.

“We've assembled a group of 911 operators, and we've combined them with several fire and EMS dispatchers, and they fall under the command of one individual,” said Wallace, the team will likely comprise eight individuals. “If North Carolina accepts our offer, then we'll deploy that team within hours of that actually being accepted.”

Resources on how to help hurricane victims in the region can be found here.