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Hurricane Helene Relief

Alongside countless others we are called to support the Helene relief efforts throughout the Southern Appalachians as much as possible. Over the months since the storm hit I have cried more than the rest of my adult life combined. From the unbelievable tragedy -- the loss of life, loss of property, and near complete loss of entire aquatic ecosystems throughout parts of the Southern Appalachians we all love. Many of the tears have also been from a renewed faith in humanity by witnessing countless unbelievable feats of Americans from all walks of life coming together for the common goal of helping those in need.  

As Winter arrives now a couple months since the storm's arrival there are still countless areas that look like it hit yesterday. Pictures and videos do not do it justice, and the level of loss cannot be put into words. The heavily damaged communities have already had multiple nights of snow, many frosts, and the entire affected region will remain in desperate need of housing, cold-weather gear, food and critical supplies, and financial support for a recovery and rebuild that is going to take years not months. Volunteers will remain in high demand at every relief distribution center and every operations center coordinating volunteers and contractors for the rebuild and clean up.

The organizations and volunteers making a difference in the affected areas are exponentially beyond what is listed below. There are countless ways to help and the resources below include many different options to volunteer, provide financial support, or donate supplies. 

We The People Mission: Operation Mountain Hope near Spruce Pine, NC is a Veteran-led organization actively volunteering at the Avery County Airport to support Helene long term relief through Winter in the hard hit areas of Mitchell, Yancey and Avery counties. Based out of an active airfield, We The People Mission has provided critical supplies and resources by local delivery and air drops, SAR, heavy equipment contractors, tree removal and will continue supporting the rebuild and distributing to those in need through Winter. Within a couple weeks of the storm and this organization's inception they already had volunteers arrive from all 50 states and many internationally. Here are links to support We The People Mission:

    State Line Resource Station is providing vital resources, supplies, and recovery funding to rural communities of Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and Southwest Virginia in the wake of Hurricane Helene's massive destruction. 

    MountainTrue has been hard at work clearing roads and driveways, delivering potable water and supplies to WNC communities, conducting water, well, and mud/sludge testing to determine potential health risks, connecting residents with grant-funded professional services, conducting wellness checks, feeding thousands of community members, partnering with faith communities and other organizations on the front lines of community response, and also providing many other services to affected communities. MountainTrue is also the home of the French Broad Riverkeeper and the Watauga Riverkeeper who are heavily involved in stream cleanups.

    Spruce Pine First Baptist Church has been feeding upwards of 1,000 folks each day in the affected areas and has very generously provided volunteers with meals throughout the region as well. All current donations will go directly towards the relief effort.

    Baptists on Mission set up operations in 14 locations throughout Western NC including Spruce Pine First Baptist Church. Volunteers are helping with meals, shower and laundry, chain saw teams, tarping roofs, mudding and tearing out homes, and more. So far, more than 400,000 hot meals have been provided, over 5,000 volunteers have served and more than 2,500 recovery jobs on homes have been completed.

    Feeding Avery Families serves hundreds of thousands of pounds of meals annually and is heavily involved in feeding families throughout affected areas.

    Pensacola Volunteer Fire Department has been heavily involved in relief efforts and with supporting Camp Miller in the hard hit areas around Pensacola, NC.

    Cherry Grove Baptist Church in Jonesborough, TN is a major supply distribution center coordinating many aspects of the relief effort in Eastern TN.

    Semaritan's Purse has seven active disaster relief sites and has completed thousands of mud outs, roof tarpings, tree and debris removals, mold treatments, and supply distributions helping countless thousands of Americans in response to Hurricane Helene. 

    Save Our Allies is leading relief efforts, deploying teams on the ground and delivering essential supplies and shelter to those in need.

    Beloved Asheville's immediate focus has been providing critical necessities like food, water, and healthcare for survival and stability. As winter looms, they are securing warm and safe housing for the displaced. Looking further ahead, recovery from the vast destruction will be a large-scale investment over several years.

    Hope Mill has been on the ground, offering food, water, shelter, and resources to help displaced families. Their teams are working tirelessly to assess damage, coordinate recovery efforts, and provide the support necessary to help communities rebuild stronger than before.

    Mountain Way's immediate efforts will serve the victims of flooding from Hurricane Helene throughout East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and the Appalachian region. It’s estimated that several thousand families have suffered losses that no insurance agency or government support can/will cover. Their goal is to find those most in need and make sure they’re getting the financial support required to help put their lives back together again.