What a few weeks our friends in the Southeast have had. You can’t miss the regional aftermath of Helene and Milton. It’s heart-wrenching to hear some of the stories, while, at the same time, it’s inspirational to listen to the stories of the helpers who have shown up with ingenuity and so much heart.
Did you hear about…
…the local weather guy, college student Ethan Clark, whose North Carolina’s Weather Authority site is so trusted that some folks credit his warnings with saving their lives while others credit the information in the user chat after with helping them find ways to reach loved ones and navigate areas with few usable roads?
…or the Florida man who used his surfboard to rescue more than a dozen neighbors and their pets from storm surge flooding?
…or the teenager who started gathering buckets of water from a creek and a spring to give to neighbors, who now has a team of kids working with him using a pulley system built by another neighbor and filters donated by LifeStraw?1
…or my friend who is sending the most powerful emails of her journey and the journey of her local community as she and they navigate this?
…or the many, many, many stories of neighbors helping each other?
From World Central Kitchen to mule trains, from individual business owners to local and national organizations, from ham radio operators to pilots, from entertainment celebrities to beekeepers, help has been stepping up to fill the overwhelming needs from these disasters.
And of course through it all, first responders and emergency teams, linesmen and infrastructure repair crews, and so many more folks whose jobs are critical in managing and recovering from these disasters have been and will be on the scene doing whatever they can however they can to help.
As wrenching as the losses and damage are, stories like these help us tap into what’s most important–hope, and the value of ingenuity, of heart, of resourcefulness, of commitment to taking care of each other.
If you feel moved, follow your heart and find a credible way to help.
1 Jackson, Jade. “He’s Saving Lives: 17-year-old collects creek water for Eastmoor neighbors after hurricane.” Citizen-Times (Asheville) via USA Today Network, 9 October 2024,
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2024/10/09/17-year-old-carson-stubbs-collects-water-for-eastmoor-neighbors-after-hurricane-helene-filter-spring/75559874007/. Accessed 11 October 2024.
