LAKEWOOD – Dozens of pilots from a Lakewood flying club are using their love of the skies to help ferry desperately needed supplies to North Carolina, where Tropical Storm Helene is leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Members of the Jersey Aero Club have spent more than a week transporting tons of donated food, medical supplies and even small machinery to the devastated areas, with more to come.
“I love flying and I wanted to help,” said Greg Valvo, 61, of Wall Township, speaking before the seven-hour roundtrip flight Friday. “The weather cooperated and there are many people who make this possible. It all came together.”
Valvo, 61, was headed to Avery County, North Carolina, with a full load in one of the club’s six Piper Saratoga planes.
More: Local agencies are seeking donations to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts
He is just the latest local pilot and member of the club, based at the airport, to hear about the impact and need for supplies and spring into action after the storm ravaged the Tar Heel State on September 28.
Organizers appealed for donations on social media and on October 4 began planning flights in their own small planes to transport the goods south.
“It started with a few people wanting to help and we thought maybe we could take a few loads,” said Steve Adams, Jersey Aero Club member and pilot. “Then it blew up. We operate a maximum of four or five flights a day, all voluntarily.”
The idea started with Toms River contractor Cody Coburn, whose sister, Ashley, works with law enforcement near the South Carolina-North Carolina state line.
When she told her brother how bad things were, he contacted his cousin, Robert McHugh of Brick, a member of the flying club that involved his fellow pilots and dozens of other ground volunteers.
“We did at least 44 flights yesterday,” McHugh said Thursday. “We have booked another 25 flights for the next two weeks.”
The flying club, which has dozens of members, normally travels for recreational and business purposes, but also offers voluntary lessons for newcomers.
Organizers say this type of mission has never been attempted in the club’s 87-year history, but little prodding was needed.
McHugh, 45, spoke after returning from a tour in a similar Piper Saratoga, with stops in Avery and Ashe counties in North Carolina (both have been declared federal disaster areas). His cargo ranged from chainsaws to cleaning supplies.
He emphasized that the smaller planes can reach regional and local airports where large cargo planes cannot, helping residents in more remote areas.
More: Lakewood’s industrial zone attracts top pharmaceutical companies
“Half of our supplies are delivered to the mountains on horseback,” he said, adding that he and others still remember the impact of Superstorm Sandy in New Jersey in 2012. “We have seen the impact something like this has. But they’ve seen entire infrastructures and highways destroyed, it’s a different level of disaster down there.”
Coburn said he wanted to repay all the help he and others received after Sandy, in addition to his own struggles that arose when a car accident left him with one leg in 2018.
“When I woke up, financially we had donations from people,” he said of his personal situation. “I’ve had a lot of support.”
Coburn’s fiancée, Brionna Rubolino, has organized many of the supplies that need to be moved each day, noting that they are nearly overflowing.
“We have received so much that the place is full,” she said, pointing to the large airport hangars that normally house planes but were nearly filled with boxes and bags this week. “It started with one plane, then six and now more than 35. We have flights scheduled until October 22.”
More: How paratroopers are blocking millions of dollars in improvements at Lakewood Airport
Lakewood Economic and Industrial Development Director Steve Reinman, who oversees the airport, said calls are coming in statewide from people wanting to drive into town to donate items.
“People come from North Jersey with canned goods and other things just to donate to this,” Reinman said. “They pack them up and fly them out in a convoy.”
Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 35 years of experience covering Lakewood and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of four books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter and TruthSocial at @joestrupp
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: North Carolina Hurricane Needs Leads to Lakewood Pilot Response
