Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene – What’s happening on the ground and how to help

The videos and pictures coming out of western North Carolina following the historic rain and unprecedented flooding brought on by Hurricane Helene are horrifying, tragic and hard to fathom for those of us not on the ground there.

It’s often a helpless feeling seeing people suffering, especially when it’s so close to home. You likely know someone impacted by the storm or have seen on TV or social media one of your favorite mountain towns or spots to visit covered in floodwaters, caked in mud, and full of wrecked cars, uprooted trees and other debris.

Adding to the tragedy is both understandable confusion and malicious disinformation being spread by bad actors about the reality of the ongoing efforts on the ground.

With that in mind, here are some facts about how the state and federal governments are responding to the storm. Please keep in mind these numbers are accurate as of Friday morning:

• Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency ahead of Helene, on Sept. 25.
• The federal government has declared a major disaster in North Carolina, meaning funding is available to people in 25 affected counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This will allow local governments and individuals to access FEMA assistance.
• President Joe Biden announced a 100% FEMA reimbursement for the next six months, a significant investment that will support cleanup, recovery, and search-and-rescue efforts.
• The White House announced that FEMA assistance in North Carolina may include a one-time $750 payment to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies.
• Biden approved Cooper’s request for active-duty military personnel and equipment to support operations in WNC. Up to 1,000 U.S. Army soldiers from Fort Liberty and 22 aircraft will be deployed in addition to more than 1,000 N.C. National Guard soldiers, 26 aircraft and more than 3,300 federal personnel already on the ground and in the skies. Some of the personnel are conducting search-and-rescue operations and others are part of incident management teams. The soldiers are part of an Infantry Battalion Task Force that includes a Forward Support Company with the necessary support structures (fuel, water, mechanics, etc.) to support stabilizing critical lifelines and essential services.
• The National Guard and the aircraft they are operating have airlifted more than 700,000 pounds of supplies, according to NC Emergency Management Director Will Ray.
• Twenty-four North Carolina search-and-rescue teams, along with 13 from other states and 18 from the federal government are currently working in WNC. Together with local and state responders, teams have rescued or supported nearly 900 in North Carolina, according to the White House. The N.C. National Guard alone has rescued more than 500 people and over 150 pets.
• At least 50,000 personnel from around the country and Canada responded to handle power outages in North Carolina and other parts of the southeast that were affected by Helene.
• FEMA has delivered approximately two million meals and around three million liters of water. They have helped more than 21,000 people register for assistance.
• The NCDOT has dispatched 1,600+ employees and contract crews, 1,500+ trucks/graders and backhoes/loaders, 1,000+ chainsaws, and 8,000+ barricades and signs as they work to repair and reopen more than 450 currently closed roads.

To battle the disinformation being spread on social media, FEMA has created a “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response” website. The page, which is continuously updated, addresses the latest rumors and explains what FEMA is doing (or not doing).

While authorities are currently advising that no one travel to any of the 25 counties impacted by the storm so that much-needed resources can be brought in as quickly as possible, there are still things we can do to help from a distance.

We have put together English and Spanish-language websites with a list of resources for anyone personally impacted by Helene and for those who want to help our neighbors in the mountains.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has also been battling disinformation about voting in WNC in the aftermath of Helene. They have created a page with all the information voters in the affected areas need to know.

Western North Carolina has a long road to recovery ahead, but thanks to our state and federal response efforts, residents and communities are receiving, and will continue to receive, the assistance they need to come back from this disaster.

Want to donate to relief efforts?

Organizing Resilience: Hurricane Helene Relief Response

NC Counts Coalition: Western NC response and recovery to Hurricane Helene