In the North Carolina mountains, the VA is making house calls to veterans still isolated from Helene

Community volunteers, churches like the Mother Grove Goddess Temple and organizations like BeLoved Asheville are ramping up to provide relief to those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, providing everything from gas cans to camping supplies to winter gear and first aid supplies.

Volunteers with BeLoved Asheville are bringing Asheville residents water so they can flush toilets, wash their hands and shower amid the water scarcity caused by Hurricane Helene. These improvised distribution systems have become crucial to ensure residents can maintain their hygiene and prevent illness until their normal water access is restored.

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 response to Hurricane Helene, volunteer group Flush AVL addressed the growing health issue of water shortages by distributing non-potable water to those in need for flushing toilets and maintaining hygiene. Volunteers used QR codes on the water containers to track refills, while an online map helped coordinate deliveries. Additionally, another group, Planet Water, installed AquaBlocks, devices that filter water from local sources to support up to 6,000 people daily, to further address the water shortage issue.

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.

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.

Dry Clean City is offering free laundry services to Hurricane Helene survivors, as most of them lost their belongings in the storm and/or still don’t have electricity. The need for these services is significant. In just eight days, the business washed about 4,000 pounds of clothes from both hurricane survivors and their normal customer intake.

Aflorar Herb Collective provides herbs to community members in the wake of Hurricane Helene and intense recovery efforts to address high levels of stress, anxiety, insomnia and other mental health struggles. The group uses locally grown herbs and traditional practices to make teas, salves, soaks and other remedies to calm the parasympathetic nervous system and provide a moment of much-needed self-care and rest to those impacted by the storm.

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.

L’Heure Civique aims to make it easier and more flexible for French citizens to volunteer in an era where fewer and fewer people are regularly volunteering, requiring just an hour of service per month and offering up opportunities as they come rather than requiring long-term commitment. The organization is now active in about 250 communities with more than 24,000 volunteers.