Asheville Recovery After Hurricane Helene

Asheville, North Carolina is in complete destruction and in desperate need of any help they can get.

Thursday, September 26th was a normal night with what we thought were just normal thunderstorms. Little did we know, wee would wake up the next day for our city to be completely destroyed.

As most of you have seen by now, the city of Asheville has been demolished by Hurricane Helene. It has destroyed buildings, towns, roads, people's neighborhoods and homes, and local businesses. Many people have unfortunately lost their lives in this tragedy or lost everything they had.

People keep wondering why we didn't evacuate if we knew a hurricane was coming or thinking there was a mandatory evacuation. This is not even close to the truth. We were not aware a hurricane this strong was going to hit us and demolish our home town the way it did. No one was really talking about the storm. We all figured it was a normal thunderstorm that would come and pass as normal and life would return to normal the next day. This left so many people in Asheville completely unprepared for the category 4 hurricane with winds as high asa 140 mph that would completely turn our lives upside down. After realizing how bad it was, many people wanted to evacuate and some needed to due to the possibility of the dam breaking. There were mudslides and landslides that closed almost all roads and highways-about 400 in total were completely shut down, making evacuation impossible. There was also no cell service, leaving many people in the dark about what was going on and with no way out of the destruction.

Asheville is truly struggling. I can't even convey to you what it is like to see the place you have called home be completely destroyed and everyone living in fear. Many people still have no power, no food, no running water, no gas, and no cell service. The water treatment facility for the city of Asheville was completely flooded and damaged. This means people in Asheville will not have access to running water for weeks and will only have access to any supplies that come in. Amongst all the disaster, one of the scariest parts is having absolutely no cell service. The people in Asheville are completely secluded from the outside world, are not able to check in on friends and family, or get any updates about what is happening throughout the city. So many people are still unaccounted for which is absolutely terrifying. People who are disadvantaged and have had their homes destroyed can't even find out where resources are being given due to lack of cell service and internet.

I have never experienced this kind of disaster before and it is devastating. My heart aches for all the people and families struggling in Asheville. I was one of the lucky ones that was safe and able to leave. Asheville has always had a strong sense of community and it's one of the things I love most about the place I've called home for the past year. Local businesses are doing everythying they can to help the people of Asheville. Local restaurants are struggling with being out of business and yet they are giving out free hot food, breweries are giving out running water, and nonprofit organizations are doing all they can to help with restoration.

I want to give back in a way I know I can by starting this fund and promoting it on all my socials. All of this money will go back to the heart of Asheville: local organizations, businesses, and restaurants. Some groups the money will go to are: BeLoved Asheville which has been helping distribute food, water, baby formula, and more to those in need, Asheville Survival Program, Asheville Helene Relief Fund just to name a few. I would also love to really focus on giving funding to those local restaurants that are doing everything they can to keep people in Asheville alive, while their own livelihoods are suffering. Some of those restaurants include: Montford Deli, Old Europe Cafe, Sunny Point Cafe, 12 Baskets, Bears BBQ, Odd, and so so many more.

Please donate what you can. Any amount will truly help. Asheville is in crisis and needs all the help they can get. We don't even know if our city will ever truly be recovered. Even if you can donate the amount for a cup of coffee, it will help. If you can't afford to donate, sharing this post will also help it reach the right people. Comment any organizations you would like to see the funds go to. Thank you for reading our story. Asheville thanks you for the support and love.

All of the money that is raised will be documented for where it is donated. I will share all of the donations and documentations on my socials. Instagram: @isabellajontz Tiktok: @isabellajontz