When Facebook is a lifeline
Plus: 90,000+ without running water; State updates death count; Burnsville gets a field hospital; Mast General Store Annex reopens in Valle Crucis; Kansas City pitmasters serving BBQ meals
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From finding loved ones to locating mobile laundry units, mountain residents turn to Facebook to solve needs and coordinate help
As an emergency room nurse in Ashe County, Natalie Britt is accustomed to coordinating life-saving efforts and communicating needs, so when Hurricane Helene brought severe flooding to her community, Britt turned to a different medium for communication and coordination — Facebook.
The social media platform has been a lifeline for residents in communities affected by flooding, allowing them to get the word out about road closures, volunteer needs, donation drives, and in the earlier days of the disaster loved ones, to check on each other.
Britt said she relied heavily on the Ashe County Recovery-Hurricane Helene Facebook page, which has nearly 16,000 members, when directing residents and volunteers who were asking her where to go, what was needed and who to contact.
The page, like others of its kind started by communities all across the region, is full of posts with residents both asking for help and offering assistance, from advice about where mobile laundry units are set up to people asking for help emptying flooded basements.
Local government officials are also using their Facebook pages to debunk rumors about the government’s response to the disaster and to spread the word about what roads are reopening and what municipal services are available.
“This page has provided more leadership and direction than any government official, local or state, ever thought about,” Britt told The Ledger about the Facebook page she’s been active on. — Palmer Magri
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Here are the latest updates coming out of the region:
90,000+ still without running water: At least 90,000 people in Western North Carolina were without running water as of Sunday, according to Asheville officials. More than two weeks after the storm knocked out the city’s water system — which supplies parts of Buncombe and Henderson counties — the city estimated that 90,000 to 100,000 people still had no running water, though it is making progress. Asked what the greatest challenge was in restoring water service, a city spokesman said, “basically everything.” The main problem seems to be sediment that accumulated in the North Fork Reservoir, the main source of the city’s water, as well as broken water lines. The number doesn’t include customers on other water systems in the region that have also been damaged. (Asheville Citizen Times)
State updates death count: The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Sunday that it is reporting 93 verified storm-related deaths in the state. The counties with the highest number of deaths are Buncombe County, with 42, and Yancey, with 12, according to DHHS. Some counts have the total number of N.C. deaths at 123, using data supplied by counties. (WLOS)
Rent still due: The Asheville Housing Authority told residents that it still expects them to pay rent for October, though they won’t be charged any late fees. (Blue Ridge Public Radio)
All missing in Rutherford found: Authorities in Rutherford County, home to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, say that all 1,107 people who were reported missing after the storm have been found safe. The county has confirmed three deaths. (WYFF)
All-volunteer field hospital: A group of local and out-of-town volunteers who are health care professionals have established a field hospital in Burnsville. “It just tumbleweeded into, ‘Maybe we should do an area for triage,’ and then from there it went to, ‘Maybe we should just do a small field hospital,’” said a nurse involved in the effort. It is seeing about 50 patients a day. (Asheville Citizen Times)
BBQ relief: A nonprofit founded by Kansas City pitmasters called Operation BBQ Relief has served more than 100,000 hot barbecue meals in nine days in Western North Carolina. The group says the barbecue is more than a meal; it’s a “vital source of comfort and normalcy during an incredibly challenging time.” (WLOS)
Mast General Store reopens in Valle Crucis; marks water line, as is tradition
The Mast General Store Annex, part of the Mast General Store chain of retail stores in the mountains, reopened Saturday in Valle Crucis, west of Asheville.
It’s in a building constructed in 1909, and the store marked the reopening Saturday with “a ceremony to mark the water line at the front entrance as has become tradition since 1995,” according to a press release.
“The Annex has seen its share of water before, but this was the most I have ever seen,” said Mast General Store Facilities Manager Terry Moore, according to WFMY. “History has taught us to be prepared for high water at the Annex, and that preparation saved the building with only one inch of water coming inside.”
Mast General Store also has its original store in Valle Crucis as well as locations in Asheville, Hendersonville, Boone, Asheville, Waynesville and five other spots.
How to help
Many organizations have deployed groups across the region, tasked with distributing food, water and supplies. You can donate to their efforts at the links below.
Hearts with Hands, a local disaster relief organization, has a donation page to provide food, supplies and water.
United Way of North Carolina has established a fund to help residents affected by the flooding.
MANNA Foodbank, which serves 16 counties in Western North Carolina, is accepting food, supplies and monetary donations. The organization’s warehouse on Swannanoa River Road in Asheville was damaged by the hurricane.
The American Red Cross is accepting donations to help residents in the Southeast.
Samaritan’s Purse, which is headquartered in Boone, is scheduling volunteers to help with debris cleanup.
Operation Blessing has a donation page to provide food, supplies and water.
E4E Relief, a Charlotte-headquartered provider of emergency financial relief programs on behalf of corporations, is accepting donations for their newly established Hurricane Helene Community Fund, offering financial support to individuals with long-term impacts from Hurricane Helene.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman
Thanks for the good mix of human interest and facts.