From Florida to North Carolina, Eagles Bring Specialized Skills to Hurricane Relief Efforts

Red Rope, a student club at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, leapt into action as Hurricane Milton­ roared across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida — at one point reaching Category 5 status, with winds topping 180 miles per hour.

The Red Rope club, which focuses on community service and preparing ROTC and civilian students for Special Warfare, operates under the motto, “First there, that others may live.” Members go through intense physical training, with many members certified as lifeguards, emergency medical technicians or firefighters.

In the days before Oct. 10, when Hurricane Milton slammed into Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 storm, the Red Rope team prepared sandbags. Lots of them, said Robert J. “Bobby” Munro, a Red Rope member.

“We filled and distributed sandbags, first to our school and church community,” said Munro, an Aeronautics major from Winter Park, Florida. “We also assisted the elderly who were unable to set up sandbags by themselves. We handed out a total of about 250 filled sandbags.”

Hurricane Milton triggered flooding and deadly tornadoes across Florida before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean just south of Daytona Beach. In the storm’s aftermath, the Red Rope team spent days cleaning debris to clear roads and driveways, and removing dangerous limbs near homes, Munro reported.

Since 1997, Red Rope has prepared Embry-Riddle students for the rigors of Special Operations training while serving the local community through preparation for and recovery from natural disasters. Alumni have gone on to be Air Force pararescue specialists, special tactics officers, Army rangers, engineers and pilots.

Red Rope’s most recent activities were only one example of Embry-Riddle students contributing specialized military, aviation and engineering skills to relief efforts. Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., commended the actions of the university community.

“The spirit of Embry‑Riddle was on full display before, during and immediately after the severe weather impacted so many of us,” Butler said. “I am inspired and encouraged by these stories of leadership and community service.”

Embry-Riddle Pilot Delivers Supplies

After Hurricane Helene pummeled Florida on Sept. 26 with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour, a call for help was answered by another Embry-Riddle student — Riley Fisher-Smith, who holds a commercial pilot certificate.

Swan Aviation Ministries, a nonprofit organization in north Florida, reached out to request help flying disaster relief supplies to hard-hit areas, Fisher-Smith reported. The original plan, he explained, was to fly supplies straight to North Carolina, where nearly 100 deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Helene, and many more people are still missing. When that plan proved infeasible because of weather and time constraints, Fisher-Smith instead flew a fully loaded Cessna 172 to Perry, Florida.

Supplies — including infant formula, diapers, first-aid equipment, batteries and non-perishable foods — were then transported overland to the town of Steinhatchee in Florida’s Big Bend region. Like communities in more than a half-dozen states, Steinhatchee suffered massive flooding and destruction of homes from the storm.

Fisher-Smith helped deliver nearly 2,000 pounds of supplies to storm-ravaged communities, teaming up with three other pilots, including alumna Isabella McKibbin, as part of a larger airborne convoy organized by a YouTube channel called Jimmy’s World.

“I wanted to help others,” said Fisher-Smith, a senior Aeronautics major from Palatka. “I know the stress that comes with large storms, but I had never myself experienced something so life-changing as Hurricane Helene. I decided to help those in need.”

Engineering for Safety

When Sigma Kappa Sorority sisters Alexis “Lexi” Davis and Lauren Phillips needed someone to help rebuild a storm-damaged fence for the Domestic Abuse Council’s emergency shelter in Volusia County, where they both work as victim advocates, they knew just who to call.

Enter Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity brothers Brady Andrews and Marcus Lopez, both juniors at Embry-Riddle.

Andrews said he had been driving around after Hurricane Milton, in search of a way to make a meaningful contribution, when he received a text from Davis. He quickly agreed to help, along with his roommate, Lopez.

Once at the shelter, Andrews and Lopez realized the job was more than a simple fence repair.

Shelter leadership explained that the fence “provides an extra layer of safety and comfort for the survivors and their children who are seeking shelter there, and they weren’t comfortable reopening until the fence was fully restored,” said Lopez, an Aerospace Engineering student from Danbury, Connecticut. “We knew then that this cause was bigger than us and that we would work diligently to make sure their fence was 100 percent fixed.”

Andrews, a native of Pompano Beach, Florida, who is pursuing a Global Conflict Studies degree while working toward his commercial pilot’s license, recalled working on the fence for about four hours, including through the rain.

The fraternity brothers described the experience as rewarding. “There are so many heartbreaking stories that I’ve been hearing about this hurricane, and we are fortunate that we came through it okay,” Andrews said. “Many were not as fortunate.”

Alumna Rochelle Mau, along with her husband, Embry-Riddle Worldwide College of Business faculty member Dr. Ron Mau, helped coordinate this bucket brigade and airlift of essential supplies at the Jackson County, North Carolina, airport. (Photo: Dr. Ron Mau)

Alumni, Faculty in Action

Alumnus Chris Desjarlais (’21), a pilot with Jet Air Charter and an instructor at Epix Aviation, helped deliver more than 500 pounds of supplies to North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

Alumna Rochelle Mau, along with her husband, Embry-Riddle Worldwide College of Business faculty member Dr. Ron Mau, also devoted many hours of service to disaster relief efforts in North Carolina, where they live. Rochelle Mau, a former air traffic controller at Kansas City Center, helped coordinate the delivery of essential supplies to the Jackson County, North Carolina, airport.

“She spent most of her time on the tarmac, welcoming pilots, providing a quick overview of the process, and inquiring about any special handling requirements for essential items like insulin and medical supplies,” said Dr. Mau, chair of Worldwide’s Department of Business Administration. He served as the operation’s treasurer, coordinated logistical support and assisted in other capacities, including refueling aircraft.

Operations lasted about nine hours each day. On the busiest day, the airport averaged an aircraft takeoff or landing every two minutes and 52 seconds. A bucket brigade composed of about 100 volunteers transferred supplies from the aircraft to an awaiting fleet of trucks.

“Rochelle and I saw the devastation to so many folks. We know individuals and businesses who lost everything,” Mau said. “We knew we had to help, so we volunteered, contributed financially and assisted with fundraising. It has been remarkable to see so many folks assist recovery efforts as they are able, and it has been rewarding to play a small role in the recovery to date.”

Seth Robbins contributed to this report.

Posted In: Aviation | Institutional News