We have seen heartbreaking devastation come to Western NC. Boone and Asheville have been receiving a lot of news (for good reason); but Appalachia is huge, and there are a lot of areas that we aren’t seeing in the news. 

They need our help.

We ask you to consider sending donations to some of the places not making national news, but that have boots on the ground within these communities. These are just a few of the 25 counties ravaged by Helene. Read about other ways to give, as well as the connection this storm has to climate change.

Yancey County

As you know, our policy director, Robin Smith lives in Burnsville in Yancey County, and is a witness to the unfathomable devastation there. Please consider making a donation to help folks directly in Yancey county by donating. Then take one more step and ask your friends to do the same. These are a couple of options that Robin has recommended because they are on the ground in her community:

• Fuel Helicopters to Save NC Mountain Communities
• West Burnsville Baptist Church to provide supplies for the victims of Hurricane Helene

Mitchell County

• PATH (serving Yancey and Mitchell– indicate hurricane relief on your donation)

More County Specific Resources

Additionally, the North Carolina Department of public safety put out a document that provides county specific resources for all of the counties in need. The Blueridge Public Radio also shares county specific resources here.

State Programs 
You can donate to NC’s Hurricane Recovery Program here. Or donate to Clean Energy Disaster Relief for Western North Carolina for energy purposes.

If you or anyone you know needs help with the FEMA process, you can contact the Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s Hotline at 919-391-0367 or email scsjcrisisresponse@gmail.com.