New York state has deployed 30 emergency responders to North Carolina to support recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

The New York state Incident Management Team members will assist local first responders in Asheville, establishing a “stand-alone operations tent to conduct tasks that include search and rescue, structural inspections and communications and emergency response activities,” the governor's office said.

Team members began arriving in North Carolina on Monday, with equipment and additional personnel set to follow on Tuesday, it added.

“New Yorkers lead by example and help our neighbors in times of despair,” Hochul said in a statement. “Our expert team and the equipment they will bring with them will help save lives and assess damage from Hurricane Helene. I thank these brave New Yorkers for answering the call and look forward to their safe return.”

In the past week, more than 40 trillion gallons of rain brought by Hurricane Helene and a previous run-of-the-mill storm fell on the Southeast United States, leading to severe flooding.

As of Monday, the death toll after the hurricane had topped 130 across six states. The toll has been particularly devastating in Buncombe County, North Carolina — which includes Asheville — where officials have reported 40 confirmed fatalities.

The New York state Incident Management Team has previously supported responses in other states, most recently in the aftermath of tornadoes in Kentucky in 2021, and following Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2019, the governor’s office said.

Additional support from New York has already been deployed, with Hochul sending 17 soldiers from the Army National Guard and three heavy lift helicopters to assist the North Carolina National Guard on Sunday, Hochul said.

A second team of 16 swift water rescue personnel was also sent to North Carolina last Wednesday and is currently aiding the Yancey County Emergency Management Office, she added.