10/03/2024
Words are kinda my thing, but I do not have enough of the right ones at this moment. My heart is aching for my mountain hometown and any words I could muster in vain would be weak in comparison to the tragedy that has decimated parts of our beautiful southeastern country.
I hope for peace, strength, love and support to all affected by the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
Just a few notes that I’ve gathered from those way more experienced and smarter than myself:
1. If you are hourly or will otherwise have a loss of income because of the storm impact, keep a running & specific list of how much you are losing. There is a decent chance you can get reimbursed from federal disaster funds later.
2. If you lost power long enough to lose everything in your fridge, keep a list of that too. Different places, including the power company & insurance, will offer reimbursements later. Also, if you lost medication that requires refrigeration (like insulin, for example), be sure to write that down as well.
3. Don't stress over cell phone data limits right now. Cell companies always end up waiving them.
4. If you need support, it is 100% okay to ask for and receive help. However, society is full of skeptics and scammers. Instead of putting out a Venmo/Zelle/CashApp name on social media, using a GoFundMe, or going through a non profit for money (which can take time), put together wish lists or registries (Amazon/Target/Chewy/etc.) to share instead. You get to pick out the specific items, and people get to buy them for you from reliable retailers
5. If you lost everything, document everything. EVERYTHING. Videos. Photos. Screenshots. If possible, include other objects for size, scale, dates, and other context clues. For example, before starting a video tour, include a shot of someone else’s phone with the date & time. Or, if you are showing a property, be sure the house number or mailbox is in there too. If you are showing water lines on drywall, show a tape measure next to the line. It will dramatically support your case later.
6. If you have something, but it feels “too small” in the greater scheme of what others are experiencing, please document it anyway. It won’t be “too small” in ~6 months (when your insurance claim processes) when you can give work to a small local business that didn’t think they would make it through the (literal) storm.
7.Check out www.disasterassistance.gov & spread the word for people to look there too. Since Pres Biden declared it as a “federal disaster,” it has opened the door for other aid.
8. Because this has been declared a federal disaster, there will be 2024 federal tax breaks available for those greatly impacted. If that is you, start the list NOW of everything you lost and their current estimated value. It’s annoying, tedious, and painful, but so important.
For those who want to help, please do it responsibly and ethically.
https://youtu.be/pzH-7k035sM?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/dHTz4v8HLNY?feature=shared
1. Please DO NOT “self-deploy.”
1. Your intentions are fantastic, and your heart is 100% in the right place. However, the infrastructure is already overwhelmed & resources are drained; please do not contribute to it even more. If, for example, you require emergency services, you are asking the first responders to serve you instead of their community. You also may be taking a hotel room away from a family who does not have a place to stay (or, at the very least, increasing the cost for the room through supply and demand).
2. Please do not give supplies, used clothes, or used household goods. There are SO many logistics involved, and it all contributes to time, labor, and physical costs that end up diverted from the intended audience. Plus, many people give items because it feels good for them, not necessarily because it’s helpful for the recipient.
3. Please DO give money to local organizations, but give without expectations of wanting to know where the money goes. They are overwhelmed too, and it may be a while before they spend “your” money.
4. Go on Amazon/Chewy/Target/etc. & find wishlists to support. The items will ship directly to the person in need, wherever they are, which may be a temporary location. Also, being able to pick out what you want (as the one going through a disaster) is absolutely vital, and wishlists/registries allow that to happen.
5. GoFundMe campaigns can be good, but they can also include bloated fees for the recipient. It’s also an area where scammers hide in plain sight.
6. Finally, please remember & be kind to the local organizations that support other ongoing issues. Issues like homelessness, food insecurity, animal welfare, education, etc. don’t simply go away when a disaster happens. For example, during the CA wildfires, so much emphasis, funding, & supplies were given to those who lost their homes that non-profit organizations that provided daily meals to the unhoused community suddenly found themselves desperately looking for donations to sustain services.
