Spreadsheets spreading hope in Western North Carolina

The nonprofit Footprint Project is helping communities in North Carolina restore electricity after Hurricane Helene by delivering and installing solar equipment donated by companies or purchased with donated funds.

Neighbors around the country are forming grassroots community groups to prepare for, and respond to, extreme weather and disasters. These groups organize aid and supplies, participate in reconstruction, and help others find shelter amidst the storms.

The city of Houston is changing its approach to measuring the full scope of damage from Hurricane Harvey so it can get help where it is most needed and improve future flood mitigation. Using data from numerous sources, Civis Analytics found unmet housing needs were far greater than initially recorded and low-income areas were hit disproportionately harder, even though recovery funding often goes to areas with higher housing values. Now city officials are working to implement solutions based on the data in order to allocate limited funds where they will be most effective.

The 2017 hurricane season resulted in damage to the Caribbean. YachtAid and Superyacht Aid Coalition are comprised of people who volunteer their yachts to bring supplies and aid to these damaged regions.

As flood risk and severity increase, homeowners are lifting their houses to avoid catastrophic damage. Hydraulic lifts raise the structure several feet up in the air, though it’s an expensive process, costing $75 to $200 per square foot. For some eligible families, low-interest disaster loans from FEMA are available to cover 75-100% of the costs. The organization has already raised nearly 22,000 homes nationwide since 1999.

The Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, North Carolina, is providing rent assistance, including same-day eviction protection, for people impacted by Hurricane Helene.

A network of local organizations in North Carolina are supplying people impacted by Hurricane Helene with clothing that can keep them warm as winter arrives. They run clothing drives and then sort the donations to meet specific requests, which is more helpful than giving out boxes of random clothes.

The Cabins 4 Christ initiative is providing shed-like shelters for people who lost their homes in the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. The structures include a composting toilet, mattresses, plenty of insulation, and supplies like water and a cooking stove.

A church is helping residents of Asheville, North Carolina, pay their overdue rent and utility bills after Hurricane Helene. It's using discretionary funds and working with landlords to help those who apply.

A Facebook group posts the Amazon "wish lists" of families in Western North Carolina who were affected by Hurricane Helene to help them meet their immediate needs and provide holiday gifts for children. Donors "adopt" families and purchase anywhere from one item to the entire list.