JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton are still underway.
In response to widespread devastation, Chautauqua County airports are asking residents to donate items, which will be delivered to hard-hit areas in North Carolina and Florida.
Chautauqua County Manager of Airports Shannon Fischer and Chautauqua County Executive Paul M. Wendel Jr. are collaborating with aviation partners to deliver essential supplies and financial donations.
Contributions will help cover fuel costs for volunteer aircrafts flying into hard-hit airports, such as Avery County Airport in North Carolina, approximately 50 miles from Asheville. The airport is currently serving as a donation collection center as small planes fly goods in, and helicopters distribute them to cut-off areas.
Over 150 planes are flying in supplies each day and they’ve used 12,000 gallons of aviation fuel in just six days. As part of the operation, goods are being inventoried and stored in a hangar until they can be distributed.
Chautauqua County has set up donation centers at Jamestown Airport (JHW) and Dunkirk Airport (DKK) to collect the following urgently needed items:
- Small propane grills and cans
- Electric start generators
- Heating systems
- Chain saw chains
- Generator plugs
- Electric wires
- Cold weather gear
- Solar heating units
- Large storage containers
- Solar showers
"The people in North Carolina have been hit incredibly hard by Hurricane Helene. Many have lost everything, and there's an urgent need for supplies like generators, propane grills, solar products and cold weather gear," Fischer said in a statement.
"We’re working closely with our Fixed Based Operator, Centric Aviation, and our Flight School, Great Lakes Flight Center to coordinate with local pilots, and available resources to get donations where they are needed most."
In addition to physical donations, cash donations are also helpful to offset the high cost of fuel and transportation. Donations can be sent directly to the Avery County Airport Authority to support ongoing relief efforts for NC:
- Avery County Airport Authority
C/O Samuel Calvert (Chairman)
202 Little Cow Camp Road
Newland, NC 28657
The airports are also exploring how to provide aid in Florida and support affected airports down there. Sol Relief is a nonprofit organization that collaborates with local communities for disaster response efforts and is based at Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) in St. Petersburg.
Currently, Sol Relief is evaluating the specific aviation-related needs of its partner organizations to optimize relief efforts effectively. Anyone interested in supporting the operations can help by visiting their website at solrelief.org/donate-now.
Please reach out to Shannon Fischer at 716-661-8930 for any additional questions on how you can assist the Chautauqua County Airports in their hurricane relief efforts.