A South Carolina man who volunteered to make flights in his helicopter to rescue victims of Hurricane Helene says he was threatened with arrest if he did not abandon a man he tried to save.
The incident took place on Sunday, Sept. 28, pilot Jordan Seidhom told the Queen City News, as he and his son, Landon, were on their second day of rescue efforts.
Near Lake Lure, North Carolina, they found a stranded couple. The plan was simple. Seidhom would take Susan Coffey first, then return for her husband, Mike, and finally return for his son, because the chopper only had room for one person plus the pilot.
While some first responders tried to work with him, one did not.
“I was greeted by the – at that time I didn’t know – but the Lake Lure fire chief, or assistant chief, maybe. And he shut down the whole operation,” Seidhom said.
Seidhom said after he explained who he was and how he had been working in partnership with local officials, “his response was, if you have that kind of experience, you should know that you should be coordinating with us. And I said, I’ve been coordinating with everybody as I’ve been here just the day before, speaking with local law enforcement, other rescue personnel.”
Seidhom was told to leave and not return.
Seidhom recalled telling the man, “If that’s what you want us to do, we’ll leave no issue. And I explained to him that I left my son on the side of the mountain, and I left another victim. I was going to go back and bring them, it was already set up for the landing spot and then I would get out of his area. He told me I wasn’t going to go back up the mountain to get them, I was going to leave them there.”
Seidhom said the man said he was interfering with the local operation. Then push came to shove.
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“I’m going back and getting my copilot,” Seidhom said. “He said, ‘If you turn around and go back up the mountain, you’re going to be arrested.’ I said, ‘Well, sir, I’m going back to get my copilot, I don’t know what to tell you.’”
Although rescue workers who had come from out of state to help encouraged him to defy the order, Seidhom said he complied. He flew to where he left his son, picked him up and left Mile Coffey stranded.
Bureaucracy is getting people killed. A helicopter pilot out of South Carolina who volunteered his support to help the flood-ravaged residents of NC has been threatened with arrest if he continues his rescue missions.
Jordan Seidhom has been flying out stranded residents over… pic.twitter.com/7DvksueFvp
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 2, 2024
“I’m sorry, if I had to do it over again, I would have stopped and I would have rescued as many people until they decided they were going to arrest me,” Seidhom said.
Susan Coffey told the Queen City News about the chilly reception her rescuer received.
“[Seidhom] was telling them who he was and what he was doing, and they just were not happy. They weren’t happy about it,’” she said.
Mike Coffet said Seidhom told him, “ I’m told if I bring you back that I’m going to be arrested and I can’t take you back with me. And in fact, I was told I couldn’t come get my co pilot, my son and I just told him I’m not going to leave my son here,’” Mike Coffey said.
Mike Coffey said Seidhom was a hero.
“He got my wife and at his own cost, at a risk to himself,” he said. “He was the one person who actually stopped to help just because he could. I mean, he got in his helicopter and flew up there just because he knew he could make a difference to someone, and he did.”
“I’m sure everyone’s stressed in that scenario, but he was following his heart and doing the right thing,” Mike said. “And maybe there were rules that somebody would like to impose order on the chaos, but the bottom line is getting those people out of there.”
Lake Lure Town Manager Olivia Stewman said fire officials did the right thing by booting Seidhom, and said that had he followed correct procedures, whatever they might have been, he would have been welcome.
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