How to Help After Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene has cut a devastating swath through North Carolina, and the affected counties need all the help they can get. Flooding has damaged homes, cut power, ruined food supplies, and left many folks stranded with no way out while others are still missing. There’s a long road ahead to rebuild the areas that took the brunt of the storm, and it may take quite a bit of time for the full scale of the disaster to come to light.

It can be hard to know how best to help, especially when many of the local organizations have also been hit hard. Aid can be broken down into a few major categories, and we’ve got links to some of the organizations that are providing help in the disaster zone. Give what you can, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Money

If you want to help but can’t volunteer or don’t have extra food and supplies on hand to donate, you can give financially. Give what you can and confirm that you’re sending it to a real person or organization first.

Direct Mutual Aid

If you personally know people who Hurricane Helene has hit, you can give directly to them so that they can secure food, water, and shelter as the cleanup process begins.

Donate to Organizers

Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) News put together a list of several organizations accepting donations to help facilitate rescue flights, gather food and supplies, provide support to those impacted, and more. These include:

• Operation Airdrop
• Foothills Food Club
• Henderson County
• Friends of Hot Springs Library

Food and Goods

Food banks are gathering resources for the victims. Check with the specific one you plan on donating to first. Some have had their own locations destroyed in the storm, and it’s also important to find out if they need specific food items. According to BPR News, some of the facilities accepting donations are:

• Hearts with Hands (Swannanoa/Asheville)
• Manna Foodbank in Asheville
• Haywood Christian Ministry
• Diaper Bank-Babies Need Bottoms in Asheville

Volunteering

If you have the time or equipment to help, you can also directly volunteer to help with relief efforts. BPR News’s list of organizations looking for volunteers includes:

• American Red Cross of North Carolina
• Americares Emergency Response Team
• Salvation Army of the Carolinas
• Samaritan’s Purse

Sources

• BPR News: Ways to donate and help flood victims in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene (2024)

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