Ohio skydiving business aids Hurricane Helene victims with essential supplies

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — An Ohio skydiving business is taking to the skies to deliver much-needed supplies to those affected by Hurricane Helene.

Start Skydiving, based in Middletown, is flying in essentials such as diapers, water and toilet paper to Mountain City, Tenn., where many roads remain impassable, preventing trucks from delivering supplies.

However, planes can still land on the local airport’s runway.

The business plans to make multiple trips a day for about a week to ensure the delivery of goods. Start Skydiving is actively accepting donations to support their efforts.

In a related mission, the Ohio National Guard shared images on Twitter of their operation in North Carolina.

Soldiers from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, based in North Canton, flew Chinook helicopters to the flood zone, delivering 85,000 pounds of supplies.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Kirk has intensified to a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. Currently located about 1,000 miles off the Leeward Islands in the middle of the Atlantic, no coastal watches or warnings have been issued.

However, the National Hurricane Center warns that large swells could reach the U.S. East Coast by Sunday, potentially creating life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.