Hurricane Helene: Three early takeaways and three calls to action
September 30, 2024
Siler Climate Consulting is based in Maine, but I grew up just outside Asheville, North Carolina in a rural cove near Swannanoa. My family still lives on the farm where I grew up, and I was visiting my family for a wedding (no, they’re still not married) when Hurricane Helene devastated the area. My family and I are safe, and I know this disaster is just unfolding as residents of Western North Carolina (WNC) go without cell service, water, power, and wifi. There will be so much more to say and do in the coming days, weeks, months, and years but for now, here are three takeaways and calls to action that I have from experiencing the early days of this tragedy in my hometown:
Neighbor-to-neighbor care is saving lives: Right now, there are still many places in WNC that are totally cut off from outside aid and support. The cove where I grew up is one of those places. Within minutes after the rain and wind stopped, we were out checking on neighbors. Within hours, people were accounting for resources, identifying what they had to share and what they needed. Within 24 hours, there was a community care plan and network, we met at noon, we communicated, we acted. People were sharing limited water, chain saws, ATVs, food, medical care, and news from the outside. Prior to Helene, I knew intellectually that as climate change fueled disasters increase, knowing your neighbors is one of the best investments you can make in community resilience. As those of you who have lived through a disaster already know, experiencing that care really brings home the vital importance of place based, social resilience.
Take action: Go chat with one of your neighbors. Share some food from your garden with them. Ask them about their day. Know their people, and let them know yours. You will be a team when your community is hit by a disaster.
Grassroots Mutual Aid and State Support: The day after the storm, my two cousins and I hiked out of the cove where my family and all their neighbors were stuck (washed out bridges, landslides, downed trees, etc) with limited resources to see what was happening in the outside world and to bring in support. A long hike, breaking into a loved ones house and “borrowing” their car (thanks, Paul!!), and one hitchhiker later, we were in town learning for the first time how hard the City of Asheville was hit. On this journey, we passed a sign that said “The State Won’t Save Us, We Will.” If I could, I would like to amend that sign to read: “We Will Save Each Other.” And yes, the “we” includes the government. Right now, local, state, and federal government resources are coming into the devastated Appalachian mountains. These resources are essential. We need more. And, they will take time to get to the people that need them the most. While this essential but slow top down work is happening, the grassroots in filling the gaps. We need it all. Care on every scale.
Take action: There are numerous on the ground mutual aid networks supporting the most vulnerable people in WNC. Right now, the best thing you can do is funnel resources to existing networks of care and aid. There will be time later once Asheville has fresh water for folks to go in and support with cleaning and rebuilding. But right now, limited resources need to go to people living there. Three mutual aid groups I trust to support people are Colaborativa La Milpa, Poder Emma, and BeLoved Asheville.. Please comment below if you know of other trusted mutual aid networks receiving donations.
Hurricane Helene is so bad because of fossil fuel pollution: Climate change is real, it’s happening now, and it’s going to get worse. And, there are solutions that will allow us to curb the worst of the climate crisis and prevent an increase in disasters just like this. Helene is yet another reminder of how critically important both long range community scale resilience planning is and how important disaster preparedness is. But we can’t forget that we know why this is happening and we can all do something about it.
Take action: A new and fantastic book about climate solutions is What If We Get It Right? by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Read it, and then do something to cut fossil fuel pollution in your life and your community.
With the horrific and still unfolding impacts of Hurricane Helene on WNC, a perceived “climate haven”, the false dichotomy of climate vulnerable vs climate safe communities is further breaking down. Climate change is going to impact all of us. We are in this together. Socially just, climate ready, and pollution free communities is a future worth fighting for.