Disaster Recovery Requires Community Care—But Also Government Support

Image credit: Caleb Oquendo on PexelsOver five months ago, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina. Seemingly overnight, the region went from being viewed as a climate haven to experiencing the “deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina.” In North Carolina alone, over 100 people lost their lives as a result of the storm, many from drowning or the result of complications from environmental exposure. In the aftermath, the region was left with significantly fewer tress, making it more vulnerable to future natural disasters.

Though the region hadn’t experienced a disaster of this magnitude since Asheville’s “Great Flood” of 1916—which was described as “one of the worst natural disasters in the recorded history of western North Carolina”—BeLoved Asheville, a nonprofit focusing on combating systemic racism and food and housing insecurity, was able to hit the ground running. Thanks, in part, to years of organizing efforts leading up to the storm, the nonprofit offered community members the support that they needed.