Pilot rescuing stranded Hurricane Helene victims ordered to stop or face arrest

October 4, 2024

A South Carolina helicopter pilot who rescued stranded victims of Hurricane Helene in flood-ravaged North Carolina says he was ordered to stop his efforts and threatened with arrest.

The Christian Post reports that Jordan Seidhom read about a family trapped on a mountain without food and water and decided to load up his helicopter with supplies to try to located and help them.

Seidhom, who was formerly head of the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office narcotics unit, teamed up with his son Landon and the two flew out to Banner Elk where they succeeded in locating the family in need.

Shortly after that, the father and son located two women who were stranded without food or water and safely transported them to safety. Soon after they found and flew to safety two more women who needed to be rescued from the mountain.

The following day, Seidhom and his son were in the process of rescuing an elderly couple that needed help when he was informed by a Lake Lure fire official that he would be arrested if he continued his rescue operations.

The fire official then ordered Seidhom to leave, telling him, “You’re interfering with my operation.”

According to the Christian Post, shortly after the confrontation, a flight restriction was placed over the affected area where Seidhom had attempted to rescue the couple.

In a press release, the town of Lake Lure claimed: “The Town of Lake Lure greatly appreciates the additional offers of assistance from private organizations; however, at the present time, National, State, and Local authorities are managing the situation effectively.”

Seidhom said he believes the fire official’s actions may have endangered lives and said that, if he had to do it all over again, he’d rescue as many people as possible until he was arrested.

Photo: top, Credit: Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images