Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina Friday, hammering the western part of the state with high winds and over a foot of torrential rain. In its wake, the storm left significant destruction and devastation with flash flooding and rising rivers.
Seventy-seven were confirmed dead in North Carolina in a Oct.6 press release from Gov. Roy Cooper. Dozens are still reported missing. About 142,000 are still without power. Almost 100,000 Asheville residents are expected to be without water for weeks, Blue Ridge Public Radio reported.
Much of the region remains inaccessible. Parts of I-40 between Tennessee and North Carolina crumpled into Pigeon River Gorge because of flooding and a mudslide and is expected to be closed for months, reported WRAL on Oct. 4. At least 11 landslides were reported, according to the governor’s office. About 650 roads closed as of Oct. 6 and travel is still considered dangerous, with the North Carolina Department of Transportation saying the same day that “all roads in western N.C. should be considered closed to all non-emergency travel.”
With all the destruction and hardship our neighbors west are facing, there are ways in Cumberland County to help. In Fayetteville, the city fire department, police department and Cape Fear Valley EMS have comprised an Urban Search and Rescue Team, lending recovery assistance on the ground in western North Carolina since Sept. 26. One thousand Fort Liberty military personnel were sent into the region to help with search and rescue and coordinate relief mission air traffic.
CityView has compiled a list of resources below. If you would like to add a resource to this list, contact mcasey@cityviewnc.com.
Places to donate
DistiNCtly Fayetteville’s office at 245 Person Street is serving as a collections site for physical donations. A list of donatable items are available on its Hurricane Helene Relief webpage. The organization is collecting donations indefinitely due to extensive need in the western part of the state.
The bar and food truck courtyard is serving as a donation collections site. You can drop off anything from the list of donatable goods on their Facebook or Instagram pages. Any of their staff is ready to accept the donations.
The Salvation Army of the Sandhill
Over the weekend, the Salvation of the Sandhills and other Salvation Army branches sent crews to feed western North Carolinians impacted by the hurricane. You can donate to these efforts through The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services page.
In partnership with Watch Out Cumberland County NC, a local community organization, the non-profit Kind Seeds Project has been buying groceries to deliver to western North Carolinians. Those groceries let volunteers cook meals for residents and emergency response teams in McDowell County on Sunday.
You can donate to Kind Seeds Project via their Paypal at business@kindseedsproject.com. You can also donate via CashApp, at $faytoday.
You can also donate physical items for the pair to transport to western North Carolina at any of the drop off locations listed on Watch Out Cumberland NC’s Facebook page.
A volunteer group has been heading west to help cut and remove trees from people’s yards. You can drop off supplies for the group’s efforts at any of the drop off locations listed on Watch Out Cumberland NC’s Facebook page. Their next trip to western North Carolina departs Friday and will last until Sunday.
Alongside Watch Out Cumberland County NC and Kind Seeds Project, nonprofit Off-Road Outreach is delivering goods and feeding residents through their distribution site outside Asheville.
You can donate to Off-Road Outreach by check. Checks should be made payable to Off-Road Outreach Inc. and mailed to P.O. Box 35364 Fayetteville, NC 28303
GoFundMe
GoFundMe set up a page for campaigns for Hurricane Helene relief. You can refine it by state. All campaigns are verified fundraisers for those impacted or lost due to Hurricane Helene.
The North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund
The state is collecting donations to reimburse nonprofits helping hurricane victims. All funds go to nonprofits. The United Way of North Carolina determines who to fund in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The North Carolina Community Foundation’s affiliate foundations and statewide grants committee will determine long-term recovery work funding if donation amounts permit.
You can donate via the Payit website.
The American Red Cross lets you specify your donation to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. You can donate on the nonprofit’s website. Select “Hurricane Helene” under “I Want to Support” when donating.
Ways to volunteer
VolunteerNC now has a volunteer sign-up page for those interested in helping with disaster relief and clean-up in Western North Carolina. The information collected by VolunteerNC will be shared with “a network of organizations that collaborate to support disaster response and recovery efforts in North Carolina,” according to its website.
Baptists on Mission, a Christian volunteer disaster auxiliary to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, is accepting volunteers to serve in flood recovery, chainsaw and temporary roof repair. Volunteers will work at sites in Buncombe, Watauga, McDowell, Henderson, Mitchell and Rutherford counties. You can apply on the organization’s website.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect ongoing places in Cumberland County to donate to Hurricane Helene relief efforts. If you are collecting donations, monetary or physical, to send to hurricane victims and would like to be added to the list, please email mcasey@cityviewnc.com.
CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the CityView News Fund.