HICKORY, N.C. — Ivanka Trump was spotted at Hickory Regional Airport Wednesday.
Details of her visit haven't been made public, but the airport has been a staging area for critical supplies being airlifted to western North Carolina for Hurricane Helene relief. Numerous groups, including Operation Airdrop, have been taking supplies to the mountains this week.
Matt McSwain, a pilot from Mount Holly, is among those volunteering with the aerial rescue missions in Western North Carolina, a largely grassroots effort under the umbrella of relief organization Operation Airdrop.
“We just organized a private helicopter army to go in and survey the damage, extract people and take supplies in, and create landing zones for people to have supply routes in and out," McSwain said. "We've had 37 helicopters to date. Volunteers: We've had people from Texas to Maine, all along the East Coast just show up and say, 'How do we help?'"
McSwain said one of the biggest hurdles has been finding a place to land. A lack of phone communication has also been problematic, but hundreds of Starlink communication devices have been delivered to the mountains while cell service is limited.
Operation Airdrop is actively raising money for fuel. McSwain said the group is spending $60,000 a day to fuel flights. Those interested in bringing donations for the Hickory operation can visit the Appalachian State Hickory campus.