Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., took matters into his own hands and launched a rescue mission in North Carolina this week with other good Samaritans, providing crucial assistance to victims of Hurricane Helene and delivering essential supplies to those affected by the disaster.
"It makes sense that Americans come together in times of grief and strife and difficulty, and I don't think that's ever really changed," Mills, an Army combat veteran, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "I mean, we're not defined by the federal government, we're defined by ‘We the People.'"
This isn't the first time Mills has taken on a rescue mission. In addition to providing relief to Israelis after Oct. 7, he also provided support during Hurricanes Nicole and Ian in his own district and rescued 23 Americans along with 59 mentally and physically disabled children in Haiti. He also conducted one of the first successful overland rescues during the Afghanistan withdrawal, totaling around two to three dozen rescues in that region in 2021 alone.
"The federal government, with its bureaucracy, moves too slow for the pace in which emergencies and often chaos actually moves," Mills said. "And so, I think that it's good that since Afghanistan and the failed botched withdrawal in 2021 you've seen a larger group of civilians who are coming together, a lot of which are former military or law enforcement, to pick up a slack and help as needed."
Mills partnered with a private helicopter company, Mercury One, to deliver food, water, diapers, non-perishables, insulin medication and oxygen since Monday. According to Mills, he and a small group have already delivered thousands of pounds of supplies in the region's hardest hit areas.
The congressman used two helicopters and also helped orchestrate search and rescues in Bernardsville, Poplar, Burnsville and the surrounding areas. He did a hoist operation of an elderly man on Tuesday, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
"Anytime there's any type of devastation or Americans that are in jeopardy, obviously it's, it's piqued my attention, and we need to be able to do a response to that in some way," Mills said. "I feel like, as an elected official sort of like a responsibility to try and do what I can to help the American people, regardless if you live in Florida's 7th District or anywhere in the country."
By partnering with some local response teams on the ground, Mills said he and his group mapped out a couple of different areas to target to bring much needed aid to those who are coming up on day five without essentials, including cell service.
Rescue teams have also been deployed to parts of eastern Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Florida – areas that were also devastated by the storm.
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Hundreds of thousands more remain without power and cell service, which has led to delays in locals getting help and trying to get in touch with loved ones affected by the hurricane.
Helene's death toll for North Carolina and Tennessee is unknown as authorities continue to respond and get in touch with families before publicizing official numbers, but the lack of data roaming and cellphone service is making that difficult.
Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
