BALTIMORE — It’s been one week since Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast and devastated Western North Carolina with heavy rains and severe flooding. 

Many people are trapped as hundreds of roads in Western North Carolina have been inaccessible due to the storm.  

A team of rescuers from Maryland have been working around the clock to try to get to the isolated people, many without food and water.  

Maryland Hart is made up of 24 highly skilled first responders from fire departments and emergency services departments across the Baltimore region. They’re in North Carolina right now rescuing people by helicopter from the devastation. 

At least 225 people have been confirmed dead, and officials say they expect the death toll to continue to rise as recovery efforts continue. 

“It happened in the mountains, there’s a lot of small communities and unfortunately they’ve been cut off either by the flooding, bridges washing out, or mudslides,” Michael Berna, Maryland Hart Civilian Team Administrator said. 

Berna is also one of the founding members of Maryland Hart, which stands for Helicopter Aquatic Response Team. He says the team, comprised of first responders from Harford, Montgomery, Howard, and Baltimore Counties, arrived in Western North Carolina on September 27 and immediately got to work. 

“That was the day they really saw people…I’ll say in the greatest peril. There were still floodwaters, there were still mudslides occurring,” Berna explained. 

As the days went on, Berna said people who were trapped but not in immediate danger started to run out of food, water, or medication. 

“Our air assets have been key because it’s been extremely difficult to get anything in by ground,” he said. 

Since they arrived, the team has covered 2,295 miles by air, according to Berna. As of Thursday, they’ve rescued 71 adults, 10 children, 2 infants, and over 20 dogs by way of multiple hoist missions. 

“A lot of the area is inaccessible, there may not be room to land the helicopter. If they can they certainly will, but that has forced our team to conduct a lot of hoist missions,” he said. 

Missions like these are what the Maryland Hart trains for year-round. 

Many people are trapped as hundreds of roads in Western North Carolina have been inaccessible due to the storm.  

A team of rescuers from Maryland have been working around the clock to try to get to the isolated people, many without food and water.  

 Maryland Hart is made up of 24 highly skilled first responders from fire departments and emergency services departments across the Baltimore region. They’re in North Carolina right now rescuing people by helicopter from the devastation. 

At least 225 people have been confirmed dead, and officials say they expect the death toll to continue to rise as recovery efforts continue. 

“It happened in the mountains, there’s a lot of small communities and unfortunately they’ve been cut off either by the flooding, bridges washing out, or mudslides,” Michael Berna, Maryland Hart Civilian Team Administrator said. 

Berna is also one of the founding members of Maryland Hart, which stands for Helicopter Aquatic Response Team. He says the team, comprised of first responders from Harford, Montgomery, Howard, and Baltimore Counties, arrived in Western North Carolina on September 27 and immediately got to work. 

“That was the day they really saw people…I’ll say in the greatest peril. There were still floodwaters, there were still mudslides occurring,” Berna explained. 

As the days went on, Berna said people who were trapped but not in immediate danger started to run out of food, water, or medication. 

“Our air assets have been key because it’s been extremely difficult to get anything in by ground,” he said. 

Since they arrived, the team has covered 2,295 miles by air, according to Berna. As of Thursday, they’ve rescued 71 adults, 10 children, 2 infants, and over 20 dogs by way of multiple hoist missions. 

“A lot of the area is inaccessible, there may not be room to land the helicopter. If they can they certainly will, but that has forced our team to conduct a lot of hoist missions,” he said. 

Missions like these are what the Maryland Hart trains for year-round. 

The mural also has an image of Matthew Henson, a Black explorer who was born in Nanjemoy, Maryland, and made history in 1909 as one of the first Americans to reach the North Pole. The piece is titled “Maripaluk,” an affectionate nickname the Artic Inuit community gave Henson during his explorations.

“It’s actually a conversation piece,” said Alexandria Briggs-Blake, president of the Tucker Road Parent Organization, part of a stakeholder group at the rink. “It’s a very diverse and inclusive mural in a beautiful location in the ice rink that is displayed in a way that brings people together.”

In 2020, Briggs-Blake was a finalist for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, given by the NHL “to an individual who — through the sport of hockey — has positively impacted his or her community, culture or society.”

Del Valle said he enjoys hearing compliments about the mural from rink patrons whenever he takes his children skating.

“People don’t know I painted it, so I listen to people talk,” he said. “One of the things I love the most is a lot of people talk about how someone looks like someone in the mural, that people see themselves or people that they know.”

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission selected Del Valle from a group of artists to paint the mural for the nearly $28 million, 48,860-square foot rink that opened in 2021. It replaced the old Tucker Road rink that was destroyed by a two-alarm electrical fire in January 2017.

“We had to satisfy the hockey and figure skating communities with the mural, so we went through at least six drafts to come up with what the final product would be,” said Alec Simpson, Visual and Public Arts Coordinator for M-NCPPC/Prince George’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “He was very professional and went above and beyond the call of duty in that regard.”

Del Valle said he leaned into his fondness of hockey, gained through his two children and younger sister, and his experience as a novice skater for artistic inspiration.

Photo by Bryan Kremkau

Date: September 28th, 2024
Bands: The Killers, The Offspring, The Beach Boys, Rebelution, Young The Giant, The Hives, The Beaches, Switchfoot, The Samples, Katelyn Tarver, Glom

Day 2 of the Oceans Calling Festival couldn’t have been more different from the previous day. After the god-awful weather of Day 1, the sun was shining, the skies were clear, and the temperature was perfect—warm, even hot at times. It was the ideal setup for an outdoor festival. Aside from The Offspring, all the other bands were new to me, and I was especially excited to finally see The Samples live, having recently gotten into their music. Some other bands turned me into a fan by the end of the day as well.

I got to the festival grounds early, grateful it wasn’t raining again. Having soaked and ruined my New Balance shoes the night before, I was stuck in slip-on Vans for the day. Fortunately, my “old man” feet held up, mostly because the walking was on the sand. Hearing horror stories from other photographers about the chaos during and after Blink-182’s set confirmed that leaving early the previous night was the smart decision. Honestly, I probably should’ve left right after Sublime.

The day started with Glom, whose lead singer wore a heavy jacket like it was 30 degrees out—I was sweating just looking at him. Katelyn Tarver, an actress and singer-songwriter, followed. I wasn’t familiar with her before, but I enjoyed the songs I caught from her set.

I’ve been into The Samples for about two months now, though I swear I’ve seen their videos or heard their music before. Maybe I picked up one of their albums back in the ‘90s when I was getting into ska, not realizing they weren’t a ska band and returned it? Either way, it took long enough, but I’m a fan now! Their music is a mix of The Police, college rock, and some jam elements. I was hoping to hear “When It’s Raining,” but it wasn’t meant to be. They played “Did You Ever Look So Nice,” “Could It Be Another Change,” and “Waited Up.” I stayed for most of their set before heading to the Rockville stage to catch Switchfoot.

Switchfoot is a name I’ve heard, but I wasn’t too familiar with their music beyond maybe one or two songs. Their set was energetic, and lead singer Jon Foreman was all over the crowd like a shark—popping up here and there, which made it tricky but fun to photograph. After a few songs, I made my way to the Sea Bright stage, which took some time due to the growing Saturday crowd. I even ran into some people from my high school that I hadn’t seen in 27 years—pretty crazy, considering there were around 60,000 people at the festival.

Next up were The Beaches, and I’m completely hooked now. I hadn’t really listened to them before, but since the festival, I’ve been playing their music every day. This Canadian indie/pop rock band had the crowd bopping with their catchy tunes. They came out in matching shirts that said “Who is Jocelyn?”—a reference to one of their latest singles. Their stage presence was electric, with hair-whipping and infectious energy. Standout songs for me were “Blame Brett,” “Takes One To Know One,” “Shower Beer,” “Me & Me,” and my personal favorite, “Edge of the Earth.” Definitely one of the festival highlights for me.

During The Beaches’ set, I made my way back to the Hives stage, stopping by the amusement park area to snap some pics and catch the view from the pier. I’ve never seen The Hives live but had heard they were a blast to photograph—and they didn’t disappoint. Lead singer Per “Pelle” Almqvist was all over the stage, swinging his mic, climbing speakers, and kicking the bouncers’ water bottles out of the way. At one point, he made his way to the soundboard, rallying the crowd. They played their hits like “Hate To Say I Told You So,” “Walk Idiot Walk,” and “Tick Tick Boom.”

Young The Giant followed, giving photographers the rare gift of four songs to shoot, without any release restrictions—a breath of fresh air. I wasn’t familiar with their music but became a fan after seeing them live. Their set featured a huge screen with vibrant patterns and colors, and the crowd went wild when they played “Cough Syrup.” Lead singer Sameer Gadhia has incredible stage presence, and I’d definitely see them again.

I attempted to grab some food after, but the lines were too long, so I headed over to catch Rebelution. I’ve been a fan for years but hadn’t had the chance to see them live until now. Their reggae rock vibe was perfect for the festival, and the crowd loved it. I couldn’t help but dance during songs like “Count Me In” and “Sky Is The Limit,” even while trying to snap photos. Unfortunately, I had to leave halfway through their set to photograph The Beach Boys.

I’ve always been a fan of the original Beach Boys lineup, but despite their political affiliations – I was still interested in seeing Mike Love and Bruce Johnston perform. However, I’d been warned that they sing over pre-recorded tracks, which definitely messed with my head. It’s a bit disheartening, especially for a band with such a legacy. Despite that, they played crowd-pleasers like “Surfin’ Safari,” a cover of The Ramones’ “Rockaway Beach,” and “Surfin’ USA.” I also missed Dexter Holland from The Offspring joining them for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” earlier in the set.

The Offspring was next, and while I had a photo pass for the entire set, I only ended up shooting five songs. Like other bands, they had a photo release requiring all images to be approved before posting, which was frustrating. I get that bands want control over their image, but these restrictions are annoying for photographers. It’s pretty ironic for a punk band to impose such rules, but I digress. Despite the restrictions, The Offspring delivered a fantastic set, playing hits like “Come Out and Play,” “All I Want,” and “Want You Bad.” Guitarist Noodles even threw in a medley of classics like “Iron Man,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” and “Blitzkrieg Bop.”

I stayed for most of their set, but after two days of the festival and dealing with moving plans, I decided to head home early. I didn’t bother with The Killers since they weren’t allowing photographers, and I’ve never been a fan anyway.

Day 3 featured bands like Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, Lisa Loeb, O.A.R. & Friends, and Barenaked Ladies, but it wasn’t really my thing, so I skipped it. Overall, Oceans Calling was a great festival, despite the terrible weather on Friday. I do think scheduling the festival at the end of September, during hurricane season, might not be the best idea. That said, it’s great having such a big event just an hour away from home.

I loved the lineup, the VIP lounges, free water, air-conditioned bathrooms, and decent (if expensive) food. For future festivals, I’d suggest better access for photographers, more buses at the end of the night, and additional exits for emergencies. But all in all, it was a well-run event with an awesome lineup, and I’m already looking forward to next year!

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