Eblen Charities has been serving the people of Western North Carolina since 1991. The Asheville-based nonprofit has stepped up support for local residents by providing housing, gas and medical assistance in the weeks since Hurricane Helen affected the area, and its executive director said: I hope this momentum continues. For many years to come.
“It's changed our community tremendously,” Beth Russo, executive director of Eblen Charities, told FOX News Digital. “Entire communities were swept away, people lost their homes, belongings, and loved ones.”
Russo said she has noticed that Buncombe County residents have different hurricane experiences depending on where they live.
“Some of us have water, electricity and Wi-Fi,” she says. “And there are people who are still living without all three.”
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On September 28, heavy rains from Hurricane Helen caused record flooding and damage in Asheville, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Restaurants, breweries and outdoor trails were all affected by the severe storm, Russo said. She said she and her colleagues were happy to get back to work helping people, but charities had “queues out the door” due to the need for help.
“People are coming in to buy gas, they're coming in to buy coats, they're coming in to buy diapers for their kids, they're coming in to buy disposable underwear for their elderly mothers who are caring for them,” she said.
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The Asheville-based salon was completely destroyed by Hurricane Helen. (Balm Salon Facebook)
Through fundraising and grant payments, Eblen Charity made it all possible.
Temperatures have dropped across the region this week, further raising concerns about people living without heat or shelter.
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People collect donations at a shuttered gas station along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on October 7. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
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While mountain towns like Maggie Valley, about 60 miles to the west, are working to get the word out that they welcome tourists, Russo said Asheville isn't ready to do the same yet. spoke.
“This is going to be a long and complicated recovery,” Russo said, adding that the past few weeks have seen the best of humanity. “Don't forget us. For us, the story is just beginning.”
