Moving Mountains: Restoring Communities in Western NC

It’s taking me some time to know how to speak to this event. I was numb for a while, wanting to help but not knowing how to feel. I’m beginning to thaw out as I’ve gotten more hugs and I’ve seen the smiles of those receiving supplies, seeing the community come together in ways that I’ve longed for for years. This hurricane has devastated our community. Asheville is a land of downed trees and powerlines. Black Mountain has had mountains become valleys overnight due to landslides. Much of Swannanoa is gone, with whole neighborhoods flooded and houses washed away. Other mountain communities have experienced the same.

I wish this was hyperbole, but the reality doesn’t need to be stretched. In some ways, it’s worse than our imaginations were capable of. Lots of people have died and many are suffering, but the community is stepping up in ways that finally allowed me to feel again. Distribution areas cover the city and outlying towns. New support is coming in every day. This support will be needed for the long haul though. Some communities may not have clean water or power for weeks, and the restoration effort will take years.

Support is needed in so many ways. We’ve been purchasing supplies and delivering them to communities that didn’t have access to anything within the initial days. Now we’re partnering with established distribution centers and churches, using our neighbors’ garage to store supplies and delivering drinking water, grey water, food, cleaning supplies, diapers, etc. For many, the need for water, supplies, and labor will continue for many months. Asheville and the surrounding towns will have to be rebuilt. If you want to be involved, we would appreciate any financial donations, and we will directly invest 100% of those into donations to the communities. I don’t want to be paid for my efforts. I have a job already. Please support me in simply being a neighbor, and helping up those that have experienced so much loss, bringing them back to a place of stability, comfort, and peace.

And in case you don't know me, my name's Will. I've lived in Asheville, NC for two years and first fell in love with this community through primitive skills gatherings 10 years ago.

After our initial supply donations last week and weekend, we've shifted to providing sanitation water to communities without access. This is being done with lots of trucks, pumps, and 275-gallon IBC tanks. It helps to know farmers;)

Once that need is firmly in place, I imagine much of our time will go to cleaning out houses. The needs are constantly shifting.