The Bitcoin community in North Carolina has stepped up to provide assistance to the state’s mountain region following the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene.

The operation, which is set to commence on October 4, will focus on delivering aid to “overlooked” communities with little to no state or federal support.

According to Dan Spuller, the head of industry affairs at the North Carolina Blockchain Association, a 12-person team will be equipped with a convoy of six trucks, multiple utility task vehicles, four trailers, one horse, and a mule.

The team’s mission will be to clear paths using chainsaws and search for missing individuals, as well as to distribute much-needed medical supplies.

The operation has been organized by the North Carolina Blockchain Initiative, the Bitcoin Mining Museum, and HM Tech, a Bitcoin mining and ASIC repair company.

The Bitcoiners plan to concentrate their efforts on the western region of North Carolina, including the Appalachian Mountains, with a particular focus on Ashe County, one of the areas most severely impacted by the hurricane.

Reports indicate that residents in the affected areas are isolated and without electricity, underscoring the urgent need for the Bitcoiners’ intervention. Hurricane Helene has already claimed at least 189 lives and caused widespread damage across seven U.S. states, including Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, according to the New York Post.

The storm, which was rated a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, brought winds of up to 140 miles per hour, leading to road closures and severe flooding.

The death toll is expected to rise, with hundreds of people still missing.

The North Carolina Bitcoin community is accepting donations in Bitcoin and fiat currency to support their relief mission.

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers.

During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more.

In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide.

John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools.

Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national “Beat Writer of the Year” from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma’s “Best Sports Column” from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two “Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting” Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association.

John holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK.

Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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(This article will be updated. Read our earlier coverage here.)

Relief efforts continue in the Upstate region after Tropical Storm Helene left communities devastated, roads impassable and thousands without power.

Check back for live updates as they roll in throughout the day on Thursday.

McMaster: Helene will cost South Carolina billions

On Wednesday, Gov. Henry McMaster said Tropical Storm Helene has caused the most deaths from a tropical storm in the state and will cost billions of dollars in damage repair.

Helene’s damage has caused the deaths of 39 people, making it one of the deadliest storms to hit the state.

McMaster and several other officials also met with President Joe Biden, who was in the area to assess damage, earlier Wednesday.

“The president promised whatever we needed, he would provide,” McMaster said.

Additionally, McMaster said he’s concerned about the International Longshoremen’s Association strike, which began Tuesday and will impact 36 ports across the country, including Charleston. Biden could seek a court order to pause the strike for 80 days, thanks to the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.

Read the story here

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Upstate SC live updates: Helene recovery will cost state billions