Specially trained dog helps bring closure to families after devastating hurricane: 'I've never seen anything like that'

Natural disasters such as floods and wildfires are unfortunate facts of life these days. And when these calamities hit, the toll often goes far beyond just property damage.

In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene rocked the Southeastern United States, causing widespread flooding and property damage. It is estimated that the costs from the storm could reach hundreds of billions of dollars. In North Carolina alone, there were 105 verified deaths.

One first responder told 12News, "Out of the 25 years I've been doing this, I've never seen anything like that in my life."

Death tolls from horrific storms are tragically inevitable. But the physical devastation caused by such catastrophic events often makes finding the victims' bodies difficult. After the mayhem subsides, teams featuring incredible cadaver dogs work tirelessly to recover the bodies of the missing, helping bring a sense of closure to grieving families who can start the healing process.

Shortly after the storm, one such team in Nash County, North Carolina, set out looking for missing people. It employed the services of Fiji, the county's human remains detection dog.

According to 12News, the team patrolled the murky floodwaters, tirelessly looking for victims. It explained that when a body is underwater, it releases air bubbles that rise to the surface. Cadaver dogs such as Fiji are able to use their extraordinary sense of smell on the bubbles and then help locate the bodies.

This was an especially daunting job in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Nash County saw unprecedented flooding with over 150 miles of shoreline, meaning the areas that needed to be searched were extensive. With Fiji's assistance, the team located 14 bodies in six days, according to 12News.

It's a grim but necessary job that would not be possible without the assistance of these amazing dogs. According to the American Kennel Club: "Dogs have about 200 to 300 million scent receptors in their noses, compared to about six million in humans. Scent regions of their brains are roughly 40 times larger than ours."

With that incredible ability to smell, they aren't just limited to helping us with tragic jobs. In the Florida Everglades, dogs have recently been used to help root out invasive iguanas wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem. And in the Chesapeake Bay area, dogs' unbelievable noses are being used to find endangered flowers.

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A weary and battered public was extremely grateful for the efforts of Fiji and the teams working to retrieve bodies. One person commented, "God bless you and thank you for your hard work and dedication to bringing closure to families torn apart!"

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