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👋 Hi, everybody! In today’s newsletter, we’re talking about the anniversary of Hurricane Helene — and what happens in communities when a major disaster fades from the headlines, but not from their memories. 

We’ve also got news for you about the midterms (naturally), air conditioning, and combating mis- and disinformation. 

This post originally appeared in Grist’s weekly solutions newsletter, Looking Forward. Not on our list yet? Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Friday.

What disaster preparedness looks like two years out from a major storm

A man unloads propane tanks for a disaster resilience event in western North Carolina. Lyndsey Gilpin

The Buladean Community Resource Center sits in a former elementary school just minutes away from the Appalachian Trail in Mitchell County, North Carolina. The space features a health clinic, a food pantry, and a quilting room, among other offerings. 

When Hurricane Helene struck the area, the center became a major relief hub, storing and distributing resources to neighbors in need. 

“Since then, they’ve become an even more integral part of the community,” said Lyndsey Gilpin, Grist’s senior manager of community engagement. In addition to providing a space for activities like a sewing club and CSA pickup, the center has continued to bring people together to process the events of 2024 — including through an annual 5K run dubbed “Stronger Than the Storm,” which helps raise funds for the center. 

Two Saturdays ago, on the same day as the 5K, Lyndsey organized a “resilience festival” with the center — and then a second similar event on Monday at the Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center in Asheville — a convivial approach to building disaster resilience with free food, raffle giveaways, and a surprisingly popular two-way radio workshop. 

Western North Carolina has had a vibrant DIY and skill-sharing scene since long before the hurricane, Grist’s Katie Myers told me. Katie reports both for Grist and for Blue Ridge Public Radio, which co-hosted the events. 

After Helene, the interest in living off-grid and learning survival skills grew, and took on more of a disaster-preparedness bent. “There were all these stories floating around about how folks that were off-grid or did know how to do things — like salt their meat or can their vegetables — were kind of able to help their communities during this time,” Katie said. “I think that that made people feel like these were skills worth continuing to share.” Organizations and governments are also looking to support these efforts. Earlier this year, the city of Asheville pledged $2.1 million to shore up its existing network of resilience hubs. 

As we’ve discussed in this newsletter many times, disasters can create windows for meaningful, positive change in communities. But after the initial disruption wears off, and fades from the headlines, those windows may appear to rapidly close. 

But what Katie has seen firsthand from her reporting in the region is that the quiet work of creating lasting change is still happening. Tool libraries are teaching people how to use chainsaws and other equipment, in case they need to help clear roads of downed trees. Food banks and fire departments are installing solar microgrids. And to keep communication lines open, some communities are taking an interest in two-way radio, a system that does not require cell or internet access — one man in Fletcher, North Carolina, holds a weekly check-in for people to test their skills and equipment, and just say hello. 

“It’s a way to build disaster resilience, but it’s fun, and you’re also making friends and building community,” Katie said. 

That was Lyndsey’s goal for the resilience festival events as well.

There were nearly a dozen booths at the Mitchell County event, filling out the gym at the community center. The tables included the local emergency management agency, a legal aid organization, a counseling center, a native plant giveaway, and a propane tank exchange with a direct-relief organization called Appalachian Navy. Attendees visited each booth, scavenger-hunt style, to earn raffle tickets — the prizes included supplies that the community center had had in storage from the storm, like generators, heaters, and carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, as well as some Lowe’s and Walmart gift cards.

Raffle prizes sit on a table inside the gym at the Buladean Community Resource Center. Lyndsey Gilpin

For some attendees, and for tablers representing their organizations, the event was a fun way to connect with neighbors around work they’ve been doing on their own to bolster preparedness. For others, it was an introduction to what’s still happening in their community. In Asheville, at least one attendee said he had no idea these types of resources were still available this long after the storm. 

For Lyndsey, that was exactly the point: connecting people to information, resources, and to each other — showing how journalism can be part of that ecosystem of preparedness, and making it joyful.

Lyndsey has often balked at the word “resilient,” she told me. It feels too much like an attribute foisted on people who face difficult circumstances. But in this context, it hit different. 

“Being able to take that word and be like, We are building power in our community around information and resources and sharing services and goods together … for me at least, being in the climate space for so long, that was a refreshing thing,” she said.

Katie shared a similar sentiment. 

“There’s some phrasing or coverage I’ve seen that I’ve struggled with, where people are like, ‘Helene will happen again,’” Katie said. While it’s true that climate change is driving more intense and frequent disasters, the goal is not to make people relive their trauma or sow fear that it will repeat itself. “You want people armed with the resources they need to feel more prepared next time, without feeling doomed to suffer an eternity of climate disaster.”

Dive deeper:

• Rethinking resilience after Hurricane Helene
• Disaster 101: Your guide to extreme weather preparation, relief, and recovery

More from Grist

🗳️ A rising tide lifts all votes

Hurricane Helene’s legacy is also looming over this year’s midterm elections. Many voters are frustrated with the recovery and are looking to hold elected leaders accountable — though with that accountability spanning parties and levels of government, the impact on various races may depend on a number of factors. Read more

❄️ Keeping cool

Support is mounting in some parts of the U.S. for a “right to cooling,” which would keep renters safe from increasingly dangerous summer heat inside their homes. Legally, it has long been understood that landlords must provide heat in the winter — homes would be uninhabitable without it. As extreme heat poses more of a threat, many see that air conditioning or other cooling methods are becoming a necessity as well. Read more

ℹ️ FYI

This week, Grist launched a series exploring the spread of mis- and disinformation in the wake of disasters. It can be difficult to trace the origins of rumors and conspiracy theories, especially during an emergency. But for governments and other emergency service providers, establishing strong networks of communication before a disaster hits is one strategy to equip residents with the information they need to be able to wade through the chaos. Read more (and keep up with the full series here)

In other news

• Governor’s races on the ballot this midterm season could make a big difference for climate and clean energy policies (Inside Climate News) 
• One of those is in Alaska, where an unusual candidate could become the first Democratic governor in over 20 years (The Seattle Times)
• Massachusetts is becoming a leader in battery storage, setting ambitious policies to shore up its grid (Canary Media) 
• New AI models are rapidly changing the game for hurricane predictions (NPR)
• Mangrove forests appear to be expanding faster than they’re declining — but the reasons aren’t all good (Yale Environment 360) 

And finally, looking forward to …

… a more prepared, informed, and resilient future — that’s also fun.    

🔦🔦🔦

It’s been well over a decade since the school — or the town, for that matter — has actually lost power. But Flashlight Tag Friday is still a time-honored tradition of the annual Resilience Week. 

Some of the other teachers think it’s a hazard. And they’re probably right. But the kids absolutely love it. And it’s such a fun way to cap off the week of drills, demos, workshops, and presentations. 

You’re chaperoning this year, as you usually do. Right as the sun begins to set, you head down to the playfield to disable the motion-activated solar lights and oversee the game. 

— a drabble by Claire Elise Thompson

🔦🔦🔦

A drabble is a 100-word piece of fiction — in this case, offering a tiny glimpse of what a clean, green, just future might look like. Want to try writing your own (and see it featured in a future newsletter)? We would love to hear from you! Please send us your visions for our climate future, in drabble form, at [email protected] 

👋 See you next week!