Southeast Strong: Metro Atlanta residents step up to provide help to victims of Hurricane Helene

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Another metro area business is going Southeast Strong, to help hurricane victims in North Carolina. The head of a local nonprofit that also runs a fuel distributor is about to take a tanker truck to an area north of Asheville to give away the gasoline.

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Travis Ellis says what he encountered during a recent road trip was not for the faint of heart.

“The expressionless faces. The hollow, empty stares. That’s what I saw,” Ellis told Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen.

He runs Mobilized Fuels in Cobb County and heads a nonprofit called Shepherd’s Men.

On Monday they were preparing for a third run to an area in and around Bakersville, North Carolina. It was all but washed away by Hurricane Helene.

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The first two trips involved the delivery of nearly 9,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel, given away to local residents. An upcoming third trip besides the fuel will include propane heaters and other essentials.

“This is a pallet of diapers, blankets, and some winter clothes in there,” Ellis said, as the supplies were wrapped up and moved with a forklift.

Ellis says it’s a catastrophe like no other and so many have been through so much.

“Volunteer firefighters pulling their neighbors—who were dead—face down in mud banks. Out of the mud. You can’t erase that from your memory. That’s why we’ll go back again,” Ellis said.

The convoy will roll out early Saturday morning.

If you’d like to provide small propane heaters, new blankets, baby formula, diapers, and dog food, click here.

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