Mules deliver aid to N.C. as major roads remain impassable after Helene

• Many roads in North Carolina remain impassable due to storm damage. All roads in the Western North Carolina "should be considered closed to all non-emergency travel," the N.C. Emergency Management Agency said on X Monday.

Zoom in: As government agencies, organizations and businesses haul food, water and other emergency supplies into North Carolina's mountain towns using semi-trucks, helicopters and military planes, Mountain Mule Packers enlisted its mules to help with the load.

• The pack mule strings can deliver supplies to areas not accessible by vehicle, including hard-to-reach mountainous areas.
• Mountain Mule Packers delivered its first batch of aid Monday with food, water and diapers to the western part of the state, using two fully-loaded trucks and several stock trailers, according to a post on the ranch's Facebook page.
• Mike Toberer, a trainer at Mountain Mule Packer Ranch, told AP that each mule can carry about 200 pounds of supplies.
• "We'll take our chainsaws, and we'll push those mules through," Toberer said.

What they're saying: "They have had many roles in their careers, from hauling camping gear and fresh hunt, pulling wagons and farm equipment; to serving in training the best of the very best of our military special forces, carrying weapons, medical supplies, and even wounded soldiers," the ranch said in a Facebook post.

• "This week, they are ready to work with us to HELP many in need after the devastation of Hurricane Helene."
• Mountain Mule Packers specialize in "extreme terrain pack animal supply trains," according to their website and have "mobile training capability to meet multiple needs."

Go deeper: Helene in western North Carolina: "Fight for survival" as aid pours in