Texas emergency crews observe Northern Lights in North Carolina during hurricane relief efforts

Texas emergency responders deployed to North Carolina for hurricane relief efforts were confronted with a rare spectacle: the aurora borealis.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) said on social media that its employees observed the Northern Lights during their deployment to support the recovery from Hurricane Helene.

“North Carolina gifts our deployed Texans Aurora Borealis during their deployment to support hurricane relief efforts,” TDEM wrote on X.

RELATED |Texas sends emergency response teams to Florida and Tennessee amid hurricane threat

This unexpected celestial display comes amid a busy hurricane season in which several states have mobilized resources to assist affected areas.

Earlier this week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the deployment of emergency and recovery resources to Florida and Tennessee. Swiftwater rescue teams from Texas A&M Task Force 1 were sent to Florida to prepare for Hurricane Milton, which made landfall Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane.

“Texas is rapidly deploying emergency personnel and resources to Florida as Hurricane Milton prepares to make landfall,” Abbott said at the time.

Milton, the second fastest intensifying storm in the Atlantic basin, reached peak winds of 180 miles per hour.

Texas has also sent additional resources to Tennessee and previously deployed teams to North Carolina and Georgia to assist with recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene.