Hurricane Helene, which claimed the lives of 110 people over the weekend, has also demolished an idea: that there is such a thing as a “climate haven”, or place that’s more or less invulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Some of the places that were hard-hit by Helene are known to be vulnerable to rising sea levels and stronger storms. But Asheville, NC has recently been promoted as a good place to move if you’re concerned about water and food access, rising heat and sea levels, and the possibility of major flooding. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the western part of the state, Asheville has seen enormous population growth since 2020, with an extra 470,000 residents as of this year.

And now, thanks to Helene, western North Carolina is a disaster zone.

Buncombe County, home to Asheville, experienced lethal and devastating floods and landslides, despite its location 400 miles from where Helene made landfall in Big Bend, Florida. As a Category 4 hurricane, it was the most severe hurricane to hit Big Bend since record keeping began. After landing, it traveled inland, causing destruction in seven states and dumping 30 inches of rain in North Carolina. More than 30 people died and 600 are still unaccounted for in Buncombe County alone, with more than 120 people losing their lives across Helene’s path.

Despite Asheville’s status as a relatively climate resilient city, Amber Weaver, its sustainability officer, announced earlier this year that it was in the process of developing a resilience assessment to adapt to the growing list of major climate-related dangers.

The scenario of a hurricane causing flooding and damage miles from the coastline will be familiar to New Yorkers who remember the destruction caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011 in the Catskill region, where very few people have flood insurance. These communities, which may experience thousand-year floods in circumstances like this, are less prepared to recover than coastal cities where a certain amount of flooding is more inevitable.

You can read more about this on the NY Times website here.

Want to help with the recovery efforts? Check out these ways to support from afar*:

Hope Mill, Inc.-Helicopters Dropping Relief is a group of independent helicopter pilots around the Hickory, NC area who are purchasing water and supplies to transport to mountainous areas inaccessible by road. You can support their GoFundMe page here.

Operation Airdrop is flying food and critical supplies to rural areas in North Carolina and Florida. You can donate via their website here.

Hearts With Hands is a local outreach ministry operating around the Swannanoa/Asheville area of Buncombe County, NC. They are asking for financial support as they gather and coordinate delivery of supplies to local residents. You can make a contribution to them here. 

Manna FoodBank in Asheville, NC is a local food bank distributing food, water, and essential supplies like diapers and baby formula to local residents. Financial donations can be made online here.

Foothills Food Hub is sourcing food and supplies for residents of McDowell County, NC. They are requesting online donations, which can be made via their website here.

BeLoved Asheville is collecting and distributing essential supplies and is asking for financial support and local volunteers, especially truck owners and truck drivers. Online donations can be made via PayPal.

*Solar One is not affiliated with any these orgs, but we got the links from our good friend Andy Revkin's Substack so...we're pretty confident they're legit. But that's not to say you shouldn't, as a rule, do a bit of vetting about any charity you're considering donating to.