Hurricane Season: What You Can Do to Help

During this terrible and destructive hurricane season, our hearts are with Western North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, the Gulf Coast, and other impacted communities.

I grew up in Western North Carolina, just south of Asheville. When the storm hit that area and the damage was beginning to be known, I felt a strong pull to head “home” and try to help in some way. So, last week a friend of mine went to Hendersonville, NC and pitched in for a few days with work crews helping survivors make their homes safe. It was a humbling but powerful experience.

If you’re like me, your mind might go to this famous quote by Fred Rogers from television’s Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” Mister Rogers was right. I was blown away with the amount of volunteerism. Individuals and teams of people from all over had come to lend a hand, offer their tools, and provide support for people they’ve never met. Everyone from college students to 77-year-old retired power linemen were working together to help repair the community. It was truly inspiring.

Americans everywhere have reached out to offer help and reassurance through various charitable and humanitarian efforts. If you would like to contribute to the relief efforts, I’ve compiled a few resources for you to check out:

• The American Red Cross provides shelters to affected areas and helps people reconnect with families and loved ones. The Red Cross also runs blood drives nationwide year-round.
• World Central Kitchen has offered tens of thousands of free meals to those in crisis. The charity, founded by chef José Andrés, will set up kitchens in affected areas to feed those affected by the extreme weather events.
• The North Carolina Relief Fund, the Florida Disaster Fund, the One SC Fund, and South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division are local efforts helping with disaster relief.
• Other organizations include the Department of Emergency Management of Virginia and the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency in Georgia. Samaritan’s Purse, North Carolina Baptists on Mission, and the Red Cross all have teams on site that are helping families who have been impacted.

You can also help by visiting and supporting these local economies in the future as many of them are fed by tourism. If you’re considering a vacation or sightseeing trip, consider a trip to the affected areas. While there is still so much work to be done, many areas have reopened and are receiving visitors again, and others will be in the coming months. Trust me, as someone who grew up there, these folks would appreciate the opportunity to “earn” your help, and they are very beautiful and welcoming areas.

I hope you will join me in wishing a fast and thorough recovery to each of the affected areas, and I send my best wishes to those of you with family and loved ones who have been impacted.