Hurricane Helene
My Experience
Throughout the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, our apartment became a base for activity. What started as a small group of friends, sitting around a radio waiting patiently for communication to come back online, evolved into a grassroots mobilization effort achieving a combined total of over 1000 volunteer hours.
During our work, I carried a small c. 2008 digital camera with me to document the damage and relief efforts in my hometown of Waynesville, North Carolina.
I learned a lot while volunteering. Both about physical things like how to rip up water logged carpet and salvage damaged polaroids, and also about community. I had never seen so many people in my hometown for a single cause the way they did in the weeks after the Hurricane. I was proud to be a part of it. I brought my camera with me to document the damage, but in the end I found myself documenting the beauty and togetherness that arose in rebuilding from the damage.
The Fight is Not Over.
Hundreds of people in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tenessee are still suffering from the aftermath of Helene. If you have the means, please donate your money or your time to help your appalachian neighbors in this time of disaster.
Click here to donate to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Hurricane Relief Fund
Click here to donate to the East Tennessee Foundation’s Neighbor to Neighbor Disaster Fund
For more information and to join the RELIEF Magazine project, fill out the form linked below.
All photos taken and edited by me on a Canon PowerShot A590IS digital Camera.
RELIEF is found in
The RELIEF Magazine is a project focused on uplifting the voices of artists in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee who experienced the effects and aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The primary themes of this magazine are community, mutual aid, rebuilding, and togetherness. The goal of the project is to focus not only on the disaster itself, but on the amazing work and community that has been done to help the people who were effected.
To apply, click the Call For Entry link and fill out the form.
Call For Entry!
Are you an artist or writer who has created works inspired by Hurricane Helene? Click here to join the RELIEF Magazine!
Deadline to Apply: Jan. 15th, 2025