#Asheville WNC

[jediexile]

I live in Western North Carolina. I have no idea if anyone knows what is going on here. I finally have gotten sufficient enough cell service to get online.

We are never going to fully recover. Whole towns are gone. My town was flattened. My street, a few miles south of town, was spared. We had no power or running water for four days. We lost hundreds of dollars of food from our fridge and freezers. We have no internet and no idea when it will be back. I work from home. My partner works two jobs - or worked, because one probably doesn’t exist anymore. My car took minor damage from the storm. Even if we had jobs, we probably couldn’t get to them. We got really lucky.

I so far have not lost anyone. Many of my friends are displaced. Some watched their homes be swept away. Some of them lost their pets. Some of them had to dig their children out of mud.

People - not organizations, not first responders, not the government - are clearing roads, doing welfare checks, forming groups of riders to take supplies up mountains on horses and mules. Private helicopters are landing in the middle of my town to drop supplies. They are doing this all over, all day, an essential lifeline for our cut off communities. The bigger cities are getting a more organized response, especially Asheville, which was essentially cut off from incoming vehicle traffic for a few days. Thank god the airport was spared.

I lost cell service, then internet, then power, from 7:45-8:20am Friday. I had no communication until Saturday. I was able to get a few texts out. I was able to get into town. Children’s toys were in the street. Some of my favorite businesses are gone. I saw a car part way up a house.

Please, send help. I don’t know what organizations to donate to. Any time I get online is spent networking relief efforts and getting the word out about missing persons. Keeping my family updated. Applying for FEMA assistance and mortgage relief. I have heard Blue Ridge Public Radio has a list on their website.

The death toll right now stands in the 50s. It is going to end up in the hundreds.

I am so heartbroken.

[oldnorthcarolina]

Beaverdam Creek, Asheville, NC

[jettybird]

in asheville, havent had wifi or power or running water since friday and hoping this posts. i know theres already so many posts out there like this and i know of all the google docs and stuff, but i have basically no cash to work with at the moment or use when i evacuate. if you can spare a couple bucks, please send it my way, i have a c&sh&pp card coming in the mail soon.

$jeyabreu

[shinshu]

skies of helene

been coping with this disaster by taking photos of the sky. they dont nearly capture the charged tension in the air, but theyre beautiful

please consider donating to me, my friends, and my family to repair my home & stay alive in this time, my cashapp is $druidry

[azfell]

Hey, we live in Asheville, NC and we’re currently housing a displaced friend whos home was destroyed by the hurricane. We’re currently trying to get them new clothes for the sake of sanitation while we’re without water for the foreseeable future— they’re saying it could be 4+ weeks. Please help us if you can

Our cashapp is $Benjiandthejetts . Thank you

[gingerthesnap]

btw asheville still does not have potable water

[iced-coffee-jesus]

Fuck it, I added this to someone else's post but it deserves it's own.

I'm 30 minutes from Asheville, we didn't have power or water for over 11 days, we only just got it back tonight at 8:55 P.M; from the early morning of September 27th to the late evening of October 8th we were without electric, water, and means to use a bathroom.

All our freezer and refrigerated food is spoiled and stinking up the house while we try to find a way to dispose of it. Landfills are overrun and garbage trucks can't access a lot of area's. We won't be able to re-stock any amount of cold food for at least another week, and barely are able to get enough fresh food to eat day by day. Radio was the only way to hear any news and have hopes of hearing where to get supplies, because cell service was non-existent for 8 days straight.

Asheville's water system was destroyed. There is no access to water in the city, and may not be for months. 25 feet of ground was washed away, and the back-up system we put in about two years ago failed. 1,800 thousand miles of pipe needs to be re-layed. They're hopefully thinking early December, last I heard. This happened September 27th. Let that timeline sink in.

The death toll sits somewhere at 115 in Western North Carolina. They are no longer providing meaningful updates on the radio of the missing and dead, so most of us are unclear where we stand. Most widely talked about is a woman that I only know through other friends; she climbed the roof of her house with her seven year-old son and her elderly parents to escape the flood waters. The roof collapsed under them, trapping her and drowning her son and parents. After that horrifying tragedy, she waited another three hours trapped on the roof waiting to be rescued.

We're a mountain community. There was no real warning, and no one here knows how to properly prepare for a hurricane because we don't fucking get them here. My mom survived Hurricane Andrew, and as a Floridian is always 'over prepared'; if a neighbor didn't bring us water, we would have been screwed 7 days in. Even as generally prepared people, we didn't have enough resources.

We are doing our best. First responders, radio hosts, good Samaritans, Walmart employees, they are working around the clock and we know that. But the devastation is unfathomable and unprecedented. The flooding and landslides destroyed towns, homes, and lives. Some people have fled and will never return, the damage is too great.

In some area's, the electric companies are openly admitting they won't be putting up new poles because there are no homes left to give electricity to. It's simply gone.

Here's a really great local news source if you want to hear more. I'm begging everyone to be kind to everyone suffering such huge losses right now.

[oracle-fae]

Help Support Temporary Water Tanks for Swannanoa, NC

I’m sharing this GoFundMe, which is raising money to provide temporary water tanks for the Swannanoa, NC community. A local gentleman has been using his own funds to install these water tanks, which are designed to feed directly into a home's plumbing system, bringing much-needed water to his neighbors. He’s not making any profit from these efforts and is doing this important work in his free time, in addition to running his construction company.

It’s important to note that the water in Swannanoa and surrounding areas isn’t safe to drink or shower in unless it has been boiled. This temporary solution is a step toward helping households get access to water, but more support is needed. Please consider spreading the word or donating to this cause if you can. Your help can make a big difference for the community!

GoFundMe

NC Disaster Relief Fund FAQ

Donate to Hurricane Recovery

Western Carolina University supply and monetary donations master list

60 Minutes Segment on Hurricane Helene's impact on WNC

[spacedustpan]

Bullshit is Spreading and How to Volunteer in NC

I've noticed a lot of youtubers are purposefully NOT mentioning all of the different organizations that are VETTED BY NORTH CAROLINA'S EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT that you can sign up to volunteer with TODAY to help Asheville.

They're plugging the 501c's of their buddies and it's making me seething mad because there's also a bunch of youtubers spreading absolute bullshit about how "The government has completely abandoned Asheville and Unicoi!!!" when that's Absolutely Not the case.

Po**ce as much as they're contemptible are centralizing donations at approved locations with infrastructure to handle volunteers that can distribute them and the reason random ass people can't just use the roads for direct donations is because they're trying to keep it to registered volunteers that have clear and specific orders so that they know where people are and what they're doing.

That makes search easier and it makes things like clearing roads easier. It also makes it easier to keep an eye on volunteers for their own safety.

Literally if people want to volunteer they can go to the 211 website or the North Carolina Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster website to pick somewhere to volunteer.

As long as you've signed up with an organization that's doing work on the ground they'll let you in and let you use the roads that State and Volunteers have access to.

These youtubers are also spreading blatant misinformation with a bent towards trashing the democratic party's response to the disaster and trying to uplift snakes like J.D. Vance.

There's a newer website that the state has made to try to combat misinformation

But of course MAGA brainwash victims in the general neighboring region (the population majority mind you) are believing this bullshit.

Here's the info from the state website:

(It starts with the facts then states the Rumor that they disprove after)

There are many false reports and misinformation being shared on social media about the response to Hurricane Helene. Additional reliable information regarding Helene can be found at www.ncdps.gov/helene.

The public should get information about storm response and impacts from trusted sources like the State Emergency Response Team, National Weather Service, and other federal, state, county and local government sites. Be aware that Artificial Intelligence or AI-generated images are being circulated on social media that do not depict conditions on the ground.  

Do your part to the stop the spread of rumors by doing three easy things:  

• Find trusted sources of information.  

• Share information from trusted sources.  

• Discourage others from sharing information from unverified sources and question where information is coming from. 

Stop the Spread of Misinformation

FACT: False information is being widely shared on social media channels, including AI-generated content and images. Nefarious actors and those with ill intent may be taking advantage of this situation by spreading false information. The public is encouraged to find trusted sources of information; share information from those trusted sources; and to discourage others from sharing information from unverified sources.

FACT: The NC State Emergency Response Team, which includes local, state, federal and military partners, along with power and cell phone agencies, private businesses and volunteer organizations, is working around the clock to save lives and provide humanitarian relief to Western North Carolina residents. This is a coordinated effort aimed at saving lives and to speed recovery for residents, businesses and municipalities in the impacted areas.

RUMOR: The state and federal government are doing nothing to respond to the ongoing disaster in Western North Carolina.  

FACT: Roadways in Western North Carolina are still dangerous and impassible in many places. A recent landslide shows the potential for more serious incidents. In some areas, traffic is being rerouted to maintain availability of roadways for emergency response, coordinated disaster relief efforts and local traffic. 

RUMOR: Checkpoints are being established and donations and volunteers are being turned away from Western North Carolina.  

FACT: 

The state is encouraging financial donations to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund at www.nc.gov/donate, or to a NC Volunteer Organization Active in Disaster.

A list of these organizations can be found at www.ncvoad.org/members.

The state is working with these organizations to stand up logistical operations to coordinate the collection and distribution of countless physical donations from across the state and country. Donations are not being confiscated by state and federal officials.  

RUMOR: The state is discouraging donations in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Physical donations are being confiscated by state and federal officials.  

FACT: Coordinated volunteer disaster relief efforts are needed in Western North Carolina. We strongly encourage neighbors to continue helping neighbors in impacted areas.

Those wishing to volunteer should register at www.nc.gov/volunteer in order to be connected with a NC Volunteer Organization Active in Helene response.

Please do not self-deploy to Western North Carolina unless you are working with an organization already providing services on the ground.  

RUMOR: The state and federal government are discouraging volunteerism in Western North Carolina. 

FACT: The FAA is not restricting access for recovery operations. The FAA is coordinating closely with state and local officials to make sure everyone is operating safely in very crowded and congested airspace. Learn more.

RUMOR: The FAA is restricting access to the airspace for Helene rescue and recovery operations. 

FACT: FEMA is not controlling any airports in western North Carolina. Airport Managers and Airport Sponsors are the legal entities in charge of operating airports, even in Helene response. FEMA staff may be present at airports as they deploy supplies and stage for Helene response. Airports are critical for accessing impacted NC communities for response and recovery efforts for partners including FEMA.

RUMOR: FEMA is operating and controlling airports in western North Carolina.

Also - at this time MONEY is preferred over physical in-person volunteer work.

Please keep in mind infrastructure for electricity and water and sanitation is damaged.

That makes it more difficult to manage volunteers.

It's encouraged that you donate to the the state and to organizations working on the ground so that they can work alongside the military and federal resources to restore infrastructure in the area.

If you're a Modern Country fan then good news: Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor are holding a

Helene Relief Concert in Charlotte NC on Oct. 26th!

You can donate money AND see a concert at the same time.

If you don't like country but love someone who does, consider asking if they'd like a ticket as an early Christmas or Birthday present or something.

Edit to add:

For people insisting that ONLY $750 is being offered to Hurricane victims:

The $750 is just for immediate food and gas and personal hygiene supply needs.

Victims have to apply with FEMA in affected locations to have assessment of damages and evaluation of funding with a top end of about $40,000 or so possible for Housing/shelter.

I wouldn't be surprised if people used the money to move to neighboring towns honestly.

Problem is that people affected in various areas and people unaffected in the region are wholesale believing the lie they are being told by people they trust that victims are only being given $750.

And the actual funding will absolutely run out if people don't apply for it.

And when they're being convinced that they've been left behind they're not applying for help.

So the people that actually know better (wealthy people with family or friend connections to people in state govt and thus correct information) will know and get to apply for funding for housing and take advantage of speed while others are reeling with disinformation.

Make sure your loved ones apply for everything they can.

[unveilandresist]

hey y'all

it would mean a lot to me if you could take a moment to read about what's happening in western North Carolina right now, and spread the word if you are able. so many moments of horror and beauty despite the odds are happening and have happened here since the hurricane on the 27th.

the conditions are so much worse than is being reported. fatality stats are based on people who have been able to be identified and their next of kin contacted etc, it's an official verified count. from the news i am hearing coming out of the mountains, there are hundreds of people whose bodies are being found, some in rivers or caked in the toxic mud from the flood. some people may not even be able to be identified. the fatalities are likely in the thousands.

it's most dire in these small isolated towns up in the mountains; info is coming out slowly because of difficulties with cell service/communication/travel. some areas cannot be accessed except by helicopter. additionally hikers, mules, nurses on horseback are helping out. because roads are just gone. private helicopter pilots even! the amount of regular people unaffiliated with the government taking care of each other is so incredible. but then the anger comes in, because people have been left to fend for themselves.

many roads look like this:

thankfully, rn many donations are coming in and finally have been able to make it to some of these isolated areas. there are almost too many donations for organizations to organize and store. I am worried for when the newness of the situation wears off and people stop reaching out to help.

for right now, driving down the street in asheville I see so much mutual aid and free pantries giving away all kinds of necessities. water is out in the city for the foreseeable future, there is no date given for restoration of service as the whole water system has been destroyed by the storm.

teams of everyday people are going into public housing where elderly people are living in horrific conditions and helping flush toilets as water is so scarce, others are distributing and giving instructions on how to use 5 gallon bucket toilets. teams of citizens are also conducting welfare checks and trying to find people whose relatives can't contact them. this is the situation here in asheville, the place that is getting the most attention.

the people of wnc have essentially been abandoned by the government. worse, sometimes they are actively punishing people for helping each other. for example, the national guard and health department are prioritizing shutting down mutual aid and penalizing restaurants for serving free food to people just trying to survive over addressing the lack of pressurized water in our hospital.

everything I'm reading is saying that the scale of this disaster will continue to take time to uncover. unfortunately, this may mean that the news cycle moves on before this happens. this is why we need help to spread the word. i am begging you, please remember the people of WNC in the coming weeks after this initial surge of attention and donations. this is the biggest disaster in the history of our state and this recovery will take a long time. entire towns have been wiped out. let people know what has and is happening here.

[kimberly40]

Biltmore Village in Asheville, North Carolina before and after Helene. This is on Hendersonville Road.

[timeisancestral]

if’n you follow this blog, you likely love appalachia, or at least the aesthetic of it that i cultivate on here. i am begging yall: love us here, yes, but please remember to also love us in-person. don’t forget about us. my home, WNC, has been absolutely walloped by this hurricane. they’ve been devastated, and once the media stops talking about us (which they hardly talked about us to begin with) we’ll still be in ruins and we’ll still need help. donate directly to mutual aid organizations and to small businesses who are trying to recover.

pictured: the hwy. 70 & hwy. 221 intersection in marion, nc, looking west towards the pleasant gardens neighborhood.

[oldnorthcarolina]

Biltmore, Asheville, North Carolina

[yo-aloe-vera]

BeLoved Asheville Searching for Space for Free Store Open To Those Affected by Helene

BeLoved Asheville, a grassroots organization that has spearheaded a great deal of the hurricane relief efforts around Asheville, NC, is trying to find space to open a free store where those affected by Helene can come and choose what they need. They write:

"We’re embarking on a mission to create a FREE Store—a place where anyone affected by the hurricane can come and find clothing and other essentials at no cost. We want this to be a space of hope and community, where neighbors help neighbors. Now, we need your help to find the perfect location!

We’re searching for a place to rent or buy in Asheville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Waynesville, or Barnardsville. If you know of any available spots or have a space to offer, please reach out! Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient community.

Let’s spread the word and make sure no one is left without the help they need!"

[kiestrokes]

WNC: Hurricane Helene Resources

Posting this thread because WNC still very much needs help. Most businesses are still closed either from damages or mostly due to the water situation. Water is not drinkable. Those with compromised immune systems or open wounds still cannot shower in it. The water just cleared up enough for us the do laundry in it this week. Thats for those who actually have running water, many are still without. Below are vetted donation resources, that I know from friends or have personally worked with myself. If you do/don't donate, this biggest thing you can do is spread this post for others who might be able to, to see. Thank you! ✦ my vote of where resources should be donated, but all of these places have stepped up to do amazing work. alongside so many of the restaurants who cooked through their stock of food (for free) to feed the community when we were without power for a week/weeks.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT: BeLoved Asheville ✦ Hearts with Hands ✦ Manna Food Bank ✦ Meals on Wheels Eblen Charities Pisgah Legal Services ✦ Silverados (Usually a venue owed by Cory Short who has turned it a donation center of supplies for the towns of Swannanoa and Black Mountain. You can contact Cory on Facebook to arrange donations.) ✦ Blue Ridge Pride ✦ Elida Home Black Mountain Home for Children ✦

There are too many restaurants, cafes and breweries to list. All that have personal GoFundMe's up, seeking support to rebuild and pay their employees during the down time. Asheville beer ships far and wide, look at your store of our beers! Dynamite Roasting from Black Mountain, NC is available at Target as well.

ARTIST SUPPORT: River Arts District Asheville Tattoo Artists

ANIMAL SUPPORT: Mountain Pet Rescue ✦ Brother Wolf Animal Rescue ✦ Asheville Humane Society ✦ WNC Nature Center ✦

[azfell]

A tiny amount of the damage from the flood & mudslides. Entire chunks of the city are gone. Small towns completely wiped off the map. Our lives have been destroyed. Please don’t forget about us