Disciple: Responding to Hurricane Helene

swalter on December 13, 2024

[Image: The Florida Army National Guard 715th Military Police Company distributed supplies in Treasure Island, Florida, on October 6. Photo by Staff Sgt Debra Cook/public domain]

For links to all resources listed throughout this article, click here.

On September 27, Hurricane Helene arrived in the southeastern United States. Although the storm left extensive damage behind in several areas, no region was more affected than the western part of North Carolina.

Hurricane Helene left in its wake devastation unlike any seen before. Early response was severely impacted by the damage to or destruction of response tools and networks used by responders to provide emergency assistance. The terrain of the region also complicated matters, as for days—even weeks—following the storm, roads continued to deteriorate, mud continued to slide and trees continued to fall. Through the massive efforts of responding agencies and support organizations, eventually communications were restored, and assessments and assistance began.

What has been clear from the start, however, is the road to recovery following Hurricane Helene will be a long one for our siblings in western North Carolina. The immediate response has been overwhelming, with donations and offerings pouring in from all over the country. However, assistance will be needed long after the initial outpouring is exhausted, and the Diocese of North Carolina is committed to walking the road to recovery with our siblings until the journey is done.

There are a multitude of ways both individuals and churches can help, both now and in the months to come. What’s most helpful is to respond to the needs as requested by those on the ground in affected areas and to use the distribution channels being organized or already in place. Do not self-deploy. This remains a request from every organization with which we have been in contact since the storm arrived.

Many areas in western NC have entered the recovery phase, but the magnitude of needs still requires a carefully coordinated effort. Traveling to the area on your own still can hinder response efforts, as those on the ground are most informed of where and how it is safe to travel. Please continue to work through responding agencies, as they are building the infrastructure and systems that maximize response efforts.

The Diocese of North Carolina has created a hurricane relief page, which is regularly updated as we receive updates, requests and information on relief efforts. In addition to resources related to our state, you will also find helpful links to support our siblings in other regions affected by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

FINANCIAL DONATIONS


Having financial resources to respond is one of the most critical needs. Today, the best way to help is to provide responding agencies with the financial resources they need. We encourage donations to the affected dioceses, Episcopal Relief & Development and the American Red Cross. Click here for direct links and special instructions.

HOW YOU CAN HELP (BEYOND DONATIONS)

Prayer is always the place the start. Those in affected regions are overwhelmed and exhausted. They need your ongoing prayers. Episcopal Relief & Development has offered some liturgical resources for use in services and other channels.

Stem the Tide of Misinformation
There is a great deal of misinformation going around relating to Hurricane Helene relief efforts, especially on social media. As you can imagine, it makes the job of those responding that much harder. Help stem the tide of misinformation; get your information from trusted resources, and verify any information you share is from a reliable source.

Some reliable sources to consider include FEMA and the NC Department of Public Safety’s page dedicated to Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

Collect Items
We know how good churches are at collecting needed items! In lieu of item collection, we do encourage you to please consider a financial donation to those agencies in a position both to purchase the items most needed AND to deliver them to affected areas. Many areas are reporting they are at capacity in terms of storing donated items but will need to be replenished at a later date. Uncoordinated donations also result in unneeded supplies that monopolize storage space.

Because self-deployment still should not be considered
(which cannot be stressed enough), the diocese is working to find item collection opportunities done in partnership with organizations with established distribution systems. In other words, these organizations are already authorized, able to get to parts of the affected regions and have up-to-date information on what is needed now.

In conversation with the team in the Diocese of Western North Carolina, we ask that you please do not collect or send clothing at this time. They are not yet ready to receive it, both because the focus remains on food, water and shelter and because they do not have space to store it. Some retail options are starting to open for local clothing needs, so please hold off on clothing collections just now.

Volunteer
Volunteers will be needed in countless capacities for a long time to come, but there are a few things to consider before volunteering.

Recovery efforts have begun in select counties. If you feel a call to volunteer in impacted areas, you’ll need (at least in these early days) to be working through an agency authorized to be there. Many are gathering volunteer information for both immediate and future needs. Please see the agency list at bit.ly/DioNCHeleneRelief, and contact them directly if you wish to serve.

There are two key reasons you’ll need to go through an organization. First, by doing so, it helps to keep efforts organized and prioritized. Secondly, it is for your safety. The organizations will know who you are, where you are and the work you are doing. They are working in areas where need is great but the risk to responders has been reduced. They also will supply you with the necessary information you’ll need to be prepared, which, in turn, will also ensure local resources are not depleted trying to support responders.

Along the same lines, support local initiatives. There are countless nonprofits, organizations and networks across North Carolina working together to support our siblings in western North Carolina, and they need your gifts, too. Supporting those doing the work in your local area does help those in the western part of the state! Remember, too, local organizations are expending resources for hurricane relief and might need help replenishing those resources to continue their work serving local communities.

Share Available Resources
If you or an organization with which you are associated have resources to share (trucks, trailers, construction supplies, warehouse/storage space, etc.), please share them at bit.ly/ResourcesForDioWNC. The information will go to coordinators in the Diocese of Western North Carolina; resources submitted will be matched with needs requests.

Work in Partnership
If you wish to work in partnership with an Episcopal church in an impacted area, please visit diocesewnc.org/helene, the Diocese of Western North Carolina’s hurricane information page, for church statuses and updates on work happening in churches able to be a resource.

Provide Pastoral Support
Countless families and individuals have been displaced, and many are relocating to areas within our diocese. If your church is interested in ways to provide pastoral or even material support, please be in touch with the diocese.

We know how deeply the desire to help runs in all of us, and the suggestions listed here are only just the start. You’ll find more when you visit the information page, including additional information resources and helpful links from FEMA. We encourage you to visit often for updates and opportunities, as the needs in affected areas and the ways we can respond will continue to grow and change over the coming months.

Thank you for the outpouring of love, generosity and prayer you’ve all shared already for those affected by Hurricane Helene.

Though you will find more volunteer opportunities here, you also can review opportunities on several hubs created for this purpose:

If you are working in partnership with response organizations, or if you are undertaking an initiative for which you need volunteers, please contact the communications department.

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