The Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport is collecting supplies that will be flown to North Carolina communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.
“We are partnering with Operation Airdrop to collect and deliver much needed supplies to our neighbors in North Carolina and some of the other most hard hit areas,” a representative of the local airport said in a Facebook post.
Donors are urged to bring items that are approved for transport. Some of those items include:
- Non-perishable foods
- Powder-form sports drinks and hydration packs
- Diapers and baby wipes (child and adult)
- Baby formula
- Bug spray and sunscreen
- Manual can openers
- Plastic trash bags (13-gallon or contractor bags)
- Toothbrushes, toothpaste
- Feminine hygiene products
- Tarps, plastic sheeting
- Heavy work gloves
- Socks (all size, unopened packages)
Items that cannot be accepted include:
- Used clothing
- Water (due to weight)
- Chemicals (including bleach)
- Fuel
- Flammable items
Donated items can be left at the airport terminal, 300 Memorial Field Drive, from noon to 4 p.m. daily through Friday, Oct. 4.
The airport has organized a group of pilots who will load and deliver the items to North Carolina.
“Some of the fuel cost has been covered by airport patrons, but donations are still welcome as we need more fuel to move more material,” the Facebook post states.
Hurricane Helene drenched the Southeast with more than 40 trillion gallons of rain, The Associated Press reported. More than 100 people are confirmed dead from the storm and its flooding.
Asheville, North Carolina — and communities surrounding the mountain tourist city — appears to be the hardest hit region with flooding and mudslides that have left much of the area isolated.
