It was a little over a year ago, September 28th to be exact. Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was putting the finishing touches on his sailboat. He was ready to start sailing the next day, headed for a relaxing Bahamas vacation.<\/p>\n
Then Hurricane Helene came knocking with a fury never seen before in western North Carolina, a devastating monster that killed over 100 people in the furthest western reaches of the Tar Heel State. People that far inland\u2014roughly 400 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean\u2014never worried about a hurricane in their lives.<\/p>\n
One minute, Biffle was getting his boat ready for some R&R. The next minute, the man nicknamed \u201cThe Biff\u201d literally changed the direction of his vacation, hopped in his helicopter, and headed out to Asheville, NC, and points beyond, doing what he could to save countless lives and to ferry badly needed supplies to those in dire need.<\/p>\n
As his NASCAR Cup career began winding down several years ago, Biffle decided to sell his helicopter he had owned for years, the same chopper he used to pilot himself and fly to races to avoid traffic or the hassle of going through airports.<\/p>\n
But as spring 2024 dawned and the weather started getting better in North Carolina, Biffle decided to buy yet another chopper for \u201cfun,\u201d little knowing that six months later his fun would quickly become a lifesaving rescue vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt still gives me goosebumps thinking about it, how it all\u2014what if this wouldn\u2019t have happened and that\u2014just how everything came together,\u201d Biffle recalled to WFMY TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n It all started with a text: \u201cWanna go flying today?\u201d<\/p>\n Biffle\u2019s odyssey began with a simple text from a friend who simply asked, \u201cWanna go flying today?\u201d The friend knew of a family in rural Banner Elk, NC, which had been devastated. The family, which was without power and had a newborn, was out of baby formula, diapers, food\u2014pretty much everything they needed to survive.<\/p>\n The next thing he knew, and after a stop to purchase those much-needed supplies, Biffle was heading to Banner Elk, over two hours away. \u201cThe road was washed out, and then my wife said, \u2018Are you gonna go?\u2019\u201d Biffle recalled. \u201cThat\u2019s all she said. And I just felt like if I don\u2019t go, who\u2019s going to?\u201d<\/p>\n Ironically, and even though the area was completely without water, roads were washed away, and most cell phone service was gone, Biffle took to Facebook to say he was heading that way in his chopper.<\/p>\n