Lake Lure officials respond to private helicopter incident amid storm recovery, 'Optics might’ve looked bad,' Sheriff says.
Mayor, mayoral challenger, town manager and Rutherford County Sheriff acknowledged communication challenges and need for coordination in rescue efforts following Hurricane Helene
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Lake Lure News, plus Cops & Congress Commentary
As Lake Lure continues its recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene, local officials are addressing a controversial private helicopter rescue that has sparked confusion and frustration. In a video statement and interviews, Mayor Carol Pritchett, Town Manager Olivia Stewman and Sheriff James Aaron Ellenburg, clarified their positions and highlighted communication challenges that complicated the response to the disaster.
While covering the aftermath of the storm, I witnessed firsthand the tension on the ground, as both residents and officials struggled with limited information.
Michael and Susan Coffey’s home fell off a cliff into the Rocky Broad River on Fall Creek Drive in Chimney Rock on Friday, September 27. Susan said they spelled “SOS” out in rocks and stayed in their car all weekend. By Sunday morning help still hadn’t arrived, until they saw a helicopter. It was flown by a private individual, not the government. Jordan Seidhom, a private pilot from South Carolina, flew into the disaster zone to rescue them.
Lake Lure Town Manager Olivia Stewman told Queen City News that the private pilot should have gone through “proper channels,” but he said he got the ok from the Rutherford County airport. There were no flight restrictions in place at the time. Communications were down throughout the area. He showed receipts from his gas purchases, which were time-stamped. They were only selling gas to pilots who were helping with search and rescue efforts, he said.
His helicopter landing, which was not coordinated with emergency management due to communications being down, led to threats of arrest from local authorities. Assistant Fire Chief Chris Melton told the private pilot, Jordan Seidhom, an experienced police officer, firefighter and first responder, that he would be arrested if he didn’t leave the area, according to Seidhom.
Stewman defended the town’s response, stating, “We didn’t know who they were, or what they were doing there.” With communications knocked out by the hurricane, the only way to communicate was face-to-face, making coordination even more difficult. The town said Melton was unavailable for an interview, but he was seen entering the room, with a hand seen to the left of the screen motioning for him to leave.
Sheriff Ellenburg, who spoke at a community meeting in Forest City on Thursday, echoed Stewman’s concerns about the lack of communication tools during the storm. “We didn't have walkie-talkies or anything,” Ellenburg said. “We just kind of flipped over channels on our radios.” His remarks highlighted the immense challenges faced by first responders trying to manage a complex rescue operation with limited resources.
Mayor Carol Pritchett addressed the situation directly nearly a week after the incident in a video statement posted online. She claimed that no one from the Lake Lure Fire Department threatened Seidhom with arrest and said the town’s rescue operations had to be carefully coordinated to ensure safety. “For safety reasons, all rescue resources must be coordinated with Rutherford County Emergency Management and the FAA,” Pritchett said. She said he was a “brave man.” However, Seidhom said the man who threatened him with arrest was Melton, both on social media and in an interview with Queen City News. Seidhom also said other firefighters assisting with operations on Sunday were from Michigan, but he specifically identified Melton. Lake Lure Fire Chief Dustin Waycaster also issued a brief video statement this week.
While Seidhom’s actions have been praised by some as heroic, local officials emphasized the potential dangers of uncoordinated private rescue efforts. The pilot’s helicopter stirred up debris that endangered workers on the ground, Ellenburg said. “We didn’t do anything wrong, the firefighter didn’t do anything wrong. Optics might have looked bad,” Ellenburg said. “When an uncoordinated helicopter flies into the area, it can create chaos and put everyone at risk,” he said at the meeting Thursday.
As the community transitions from rescue to recovery, the challenges remain. In addition to dealing with the physical devastation, local leaders face mounting public scrutiny. Communications from town officials have been limited due to a lack of internet and cell service, and residents have raised concerns to me privately about the lack of timely updates. I’ve directed them to the Rutherford County Emergency Management Facebook page and the Town of Lake Lure. There is a perception by some readers that there may be more dead people than authorities say, largely because more than 40 people are still missing 12 days after the storm. Officials say the total is three dead in Rutherford County. NCDHHS says there are 77 confirmed dead statewide.
Despite these issues, both the Mayor and the Sheriff have underscored their commitment to the recovery process, urging residents to remain patient and support ongoing efforts. With Mayor Pritchett facing two challengers in the November election, her handling of the crisis will likely play a major role in shaping the town’s political future. One challenger, Jonathan Crawford, defended the actions of Melton while criticizing the Mayor’s contradictory statements. The other candidate, Jonathan Hinkle, has not made any public statement that I’ve seen.
There is a special town council public meeting scheduled today at 5 p.m., to be held at the Lake Lure Inn since the town hall suffered flooding damage. I plan to be there to record it if I can get through police checkpoints.
Governor Roy Cooper came to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock yesterday. He was there just a few weeks ago as I previously reported. “Today, I visited with military personnel and traveled to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure to talk with people there and see firsthand the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene,” said Governor Cooper. “These communities are home to family-owned businesses and neighbors who are helping one another. We will continue to work with Western North Carolina to respond and recover from this catastrophic storm.” The N.C. state legislature is scheduled to vote on possible funding this week in response to Helene’s destruction.
Government accountability and journalism must continue, even in the face of natural disasters. The road to rebuilding Lake Lure and Chimney Rock will not only involve repairing infrastructure but also ensuring transparency to maintain trust between the community and its leaders.
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