2 Months After Hurricane Helene, How Are Impacted Local Organizers Coping?

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the regional Veterans Affairs system around the Charles George VA Medical Center is sending out teams to provide services and supplies to more than 2,600 high-risk veterans living in isolated areas.

Water Mission is helping ensure Western North Carolina residents have access to safe water following Hurricane Helene. The group installed four of its proprietary mobile water treatment systems which produce 15,000 liters of clean water a day. The group has also distributed and gassed 400 generators for people to power their wells.

In Kern County, where pregnancy-related mortality rates are more than double the California average and Black mothers face life-threatening complications at nearly three times the rate of white women, community doulas are working to bridge the gap between patients and the medical system. Since California expanded Medi-Cal coverage to include doula services in January 2023, more than 1,400 doulas have enrolled statewide, with active training pipelines building the workforce locally.

GoodVision trains local technicians to produce glasses made with flexible spring steel wire and shatterproof plastic lenses that are manufactured locally with hand-powered machines that don’t require electricity. They then distribute the glasses in their own communities, pricing them at 2-3 days' local wages (about $5-6 USD). Since 2012, the initiative has provided glasses to over 1 million people across 11 countries, employing approximately 600 people.

After sudden U.S. government funding cuts jeopardized South Africa's HIV programs, Limpopo's Hlokomela Clinic quickly reorganized around existing resources, training community health workers to identify and encourage farm workers to visit still-operational clinic sites for HIV testing. By leveraging volunteers, they partially offset the impact of losing their dedicated HIV testing outreach team and program funding.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene and Milton, mutual aid groups across the country are emerging to get essential supplies to thousands of people in isolated communities and working to combat misinformation and government mistrust surrounding climate change. Because mutual aid groups aren’t bound to the bureaucracy of government organizations, they’re able to act quickly and connect with community members on a deeper level.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, several community-led organizations are joining forces to help those in need by gathering and distributing supply donations and helping those affected apply for FEMA assistance, unemployment and other relief support.

In the aftermath of Hurrican Helene, hospitals in Western North Carolina are working to keep healthcare services operational with methods like staff adjustments, backup power systems, coordination with local emergency services and creating disaster preparedness plans. These efforts have allowed the hospitals to stay open during the storms and continue providing care to those who need it.

In response to Hurricane Helene's devastation, water rescue experts from Outdoor Adventure Rafting in Tennessee are volunteering to deliver essential supplies, medical aid and communication to isolated communities. They mobilized over 200 volunteers and used resources like excavation equipment and Starlink satellite internet to bridge communication gaps. Their efforts have reached several communities, helping to stabilize them with food, water and other critical resources.

Local activists are joining together to protest the potential closure of Southwest Memorial Hospital’s birthing center, advocating and organizing to ensure the hospital stays open and locals can access the care they need in rural areas.