How We Can Help Asheville Recover from Hurricane Helene

Image courtesy of Airam Dato-on via Unsplash

Rallying Support for Ongoing Humanitarian Efforts In North Carolina

The Southeast United States is facing a historic hurricane season. And with it, an outpouring of attention and support. As the owners and employees of Timoti’s Seafood Shak and Cafe Karibo, we want to contribute to the relief efforts in communities affected by Hurricane Helene. We have strong connections to Asheville, NC and its surrounding communities. Christian, a bartender at Cafe Karibo helping mobilize this effort, adds “this is not just a political thing. This is a humanitarian crisis that we need to stand together to help.” 

Those who can support, please see the list of resources at the bottom of this page, provided and recommended by people on the ground in Asheville.

Effects of Hurricane Helene and How It Kept Strength Inland

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in the Florida Big Bend region on September 26, 2024. It hit Perry, FL before weakening into a tropical storm and continuing its northbound path through central Georgia. Finally, Helene went through the western areas of the Carolinas and eastern Tennessee. This path of destruction left areas with historic rainfall and flooding. One of the hardest hit cities was Asheville, NC, where people have described the outcome of the storm as “biblical.” Houses, bridges, and roads were washed away. 90% of Asheville was left without cellular service as landslides cut main fiber lines. The loss of power to the area and the region was visible from space more than a day after impact. Tens of thousands of people in and around Asheville are still without running water almost two weeks after the storm. Some residents were stranded in their homes for days, far out of reach of rescue efforts. 

How did a Gulf Coast storm affect so many people inland, and at such great magnitude? Meteorologists argue that it was a combination of factors. Asheville and its neighboring areas had experienced rainfall shortly before Helene, which saturated the ground like a sponge. Any additional rain accumulated and sat on top of the soil, unable to be absorbed. This moisture and heat in the soil could have had an effect on Helene similar to the warm waters in the Gulf that fed the hurricane. This is referred to as the Brown Ocean Effect 

When Helene’s warm air met the cool air in the Appalachian Mountains, it rose and generated more rainfall. Additionally, as water rushes down mountains, it gains strength and causes landslides, devastating towns downhill. Combine these effects with infrastructure that is not used to such extreme weather events, and you have the catastrophic consequences of Helene.

Image courtesy of Tyler Kotch

Hurricane Helene By the Numbers

As of October 3, 2024, Helene’s death toll was at least 227 people across six states, with more bodies still being recovered. Of those 227, North Carolina reported 115. 

Asheville received between 13.98 inches of rain from September 25 to September 27.

At its peak on September 27, the French Broad River in Fletcher crested at 30.31 feet. In Asheville, the same river reached a crest of 24.67 feet.

As of October 9, nearly 29% of the infrastructure in Buncombe County is still without power. That is 45,701 outages reported. This is an improvement from 80,000 as of October 4.

How to Help Hurricane Response Efforts in Asheville, NC

PIE.ZAA is a restaurant in Asheville. The Go Fund Me they have established is using all donations to support the community in Asheville by providing “chainsaw, gas, oil, and equipment needed to clear roads and passages where individuals are trapped.” Funds are also used to buy and provide “water, batteries, food supplies, feminine products, diapers, baby food, and other essentials for basic survival.” They have a drop-off location for donations at the Venue in Downtown Asheville.

The World Central Kitchen organization mobilizes a network of food trucks and emergency kitchens to provide healthy, cooked meals to families affected by the storm. They set up at Cúrate and Bears Smokehouse in Asheville, as well as in Georgia and around the Big Bend in Florida. 

Image courtesy of World Central Kitchen

Hope Mill Inc. is a group of helicopter pilots based in Charlotte, NC. They are working to move supplies into the hardest hit areas that are inaccessible by ground, like Bakersville, Barnardsville, Marshall, Little Switzerland, Spruce Pine, and Bat Cave. Donations go toward  “supplies, air fuel, medical, food, and anything else that becomes needed for the community in need.” 

Brother Wolf Rescue is an animal rescue and adoption organization in Asheville. Their shelter was flooded during the storm. All of the animals were evacuated on time and are safe with the support of the community. But the shelter needs to be rebuilt. Christian at Cafe Karibo adds that “we can’t forget our four-legged friends that always need our help and love.” 

Buncombe County’s website also has a list of locations for residents to access food, water, and medical services. It also links to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, which are accepting financial contributions. 

Asheville Needs Your Help Now

If able to, please consider donating to these efforts or spreading the word. With your support, we believe Asheville “will rise up as it once was and better.”