The Piper Comanche is loaded with relief supplies being shipped to North Carolina to help with Hurricane Helen recovery. Krista Wilson of Oshkosh called on FIRE Fitness Camp Oshkosh families to help collect supplies. Wilson’s son, pilot Jay Wilson, will fly the supplies to the Ashe County Airport. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, Wis. (WTAQ-WLUK) – Two weeks after Hurricane Helen destroyed parts of the state, images coming out of North Carolina continue to have an impact.
“I just saw the landslides and the high water levels and all that. And that really stuck with me. I didn’t know anyone there, and I just felt the remorse of survivors wanting to do something.” said Krista Wilson of Oshkosh.
She trains at FIRE Fitness in Oshkosh. She reached out to her fitness family for help. They complied.
According to Wilson, “We have diapers, toothpaste, wipes, baby formula and tarps.”
All week they have been collecting supplies to send to North Carolina for recovery efforts.
Oshkosh Fire Fitness owner Eli Macias added, “It’s been great to see people bring in so much stuff the last few days and drop it off.”
But with roads washed out and travel to the affected areas restricted, Wilson called on his son Jay, a pilot, for help.
Jay Wilson said, “I didn’t expect the donations to increase this much.”
His Piper Comanche six-seater plane is currently packed with supplies. Basler Flight Service donated fuel for his trip.
Then, on Saturday morning, Wilson and a friend plan to leave Oshkosh and head to North Carolina’s Ashe County Airport to unload the goods.
It’s a donation collection location two hours outside of Asheville.
“We have to fly into this airport and it seems like everything is being distributed from there,” Krista Wilson said.
Wilson flies about three hours to North Carolina and three hours back.
While it’s a one-day trip for him, he and his mother and her training family hope the impact will be long-lasting.
Jay Wilson said: It feels good to use my plane to help something and let’s see how it goes. ”
His mother added, “It just feels so good when you’re just helping other people.”
