In Western North Carolina, many are dead, missing and cut off from the outside world – and help – in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall in northern Florida and was still a raging tropical storm as it passed over the Carolinas. The storm flooded towns in North Carolina, wiped out neighborhoods and killed at least 11 people across the state.
President Joe Biden approved Gov. Roy Cooper’s request for FEMA assistance in 25 counties on Saturday, and federal aid flowed en masse to Asheville and Charlotte on Sunday. Crews set up base camps, waiting for some of the 280 closed roads to reopen, while Red Cross planes and helicopters searched for people stranded in towns near the Appalachian Mountains, the American Red Cross said. Vice President of Emergency Management Jennifer Pipa Sunday.
Floods separated towns from nearby roads, and emergency services struggled to reach those affected without using planes.
How to help people affected by Helene
If your organization would like to be added to this list, please email news@charlotteobserver.com with the subject line “How to Help NC.”
“Cash is best,” according to FEMA’s website. It is the most effective, flexible way to help organizations. FEMA recommends donating to verified organizations that send money to groups on the ground who know what communities need. A list of organizations can be found on the website of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. These same organizations also accept volunteers.
FEMA is warning people not to go into affected areas themselves, especially into areas still flooded.
Hurricane Helene GoFundMe
GoFundMe, a crowdfunding platform that allows individuals to create their own fundraisers, launched a Hurricane Helene Relief page Friday with verified fundraisers. As of Sunday, there were nearly 400 fundraisers on the verified landing page.
In Charlotte, a tree was toppled when Helene fell on a Hoskins home, killing a man inside. That man, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his cousin, Anthony “Tony” Taylor. His wife and four children survived, but he did not.
Neighbors said half the tree fell on another house months ago. It should have been cut down already, they said.
“We had been trying to get the tree removed for some time, but since it was not on our property there was little we could do,” Taylor’s cousin, Stephen Taylor, wrote in the post.
Also in Charlotte, a group of pilots is asking for money to help drop supplies to people in communities now surrounded by water instead of roads.
“We believe that small aircraft can deploy resources more quickly because we don’t have to wait for the roads to be cleared. We will use the funds to purchase necessities such as non-perishable food, hygiene items and baby supplies,” Benjamin Spells wrote.
In Swannanoa, where some of the state’s worst flooding occurred, a couple and their children — ages 2 and 7 — took refuge in their attic as orange floodwaters moved silt and debris through their neighborhood. Zara’s last frantically called the family at 11am on Friday, after hours of no contact. A neighbor with a kayak rescued them and their house was destroyed.
Jessica Allred, the woman’s sister, asks for money to help the Zara family. Hundreds more families with harrowing stories are listed on GoFundMe.
American Red Cross of North Carolina
The Red Cross sent 745 responders across North Carolina and facilitated more than 500 storm rescues. People can volunteer with the American Red Cross or donate blood to help treat those injured in the storm.
Text Helene to 90999 and make a donation, or visit the organization’s website here.
United Way
United Way, a nonprofit organization that operates a 2-1-1 hotline that connects people to resources, is accepting donations for short-term and ongoing relief efforts. United Way’s Helene Recovery Fund aims to help “meet the critical needs of those affected” as residents and officials navigate life-threatening conditions.
Local chapters are listed on the organization’s website.
America
Americares, a global healthcare nonprofit, has set up a donation page to help meet medical needs in the areas affected by Helene.
