Footage of the devastation across Western North Carolina reminded Ben Powers of the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, and the regret he still feels at being unable to help victims in New York City. This time, as the disaster unfolded, Ben decided to take his son to areas destroyed by Hurricane Helene and find a way that both of them could get their hands dirty.
“I had an opportunity to set an example for my son, to proudly be brave and step up for the greater good. We assessed the risk in what I felt was a healthy manner, and much to his mom’s apprehension I pulled him out of school, packed up my work truck with a chainsaw, food, water, and gasoline, and started looking up organizations that are working out that way.”
His approach is one that has been adopted by many, despite widespread reports of unsafe road conditions or negative encounters with people in affected areas who are becoming ever more desperate for food and water. While larger organizations take longer to mobilize, he says, those willing to take a calculated risk are able to help fill the gaps.
“There is no POC [point of contact] to call,” wrote Chris Lassiter in response to a comment in his Major Event & All Hazards Facebook group, which he admins from Carthage. The group has served as a lifeline for those seeking and offering resources in the wake of Helene. “In these situations I have dealt with in the past, people can just show up and hunt work.”
Ben first contacted Beloved Asheville, an established organization currently sending backpack teams into isolated areas on rescue missions. The intel they provided sent him to Swannanoa and Black Mountain.
“It feels cliche at this point, but what I saw reminds me of deployment settings,” said Ben, a retired Green Beret. “Entire swaths of earth are displaced, buildings are leveled, people are living without running water, without food, without supplies. There are professional rescue crews at work, but regular people are making their way out to help just like we did.“
When they arrived, Ben checked in at the local police and fire stations for further direction, asking where he could make a valuable contribution without being in the way or complicating relief issues. Eventually, he was pointed to a spot where several large branches had blocked a road, and he and his son started work, resting in his truck at night.
“If you’re going out to help and you’re not working as part of a bigger organization, you have to be self-sustaining — you’re going to need food, water, tools, gasoline. You’re going be using baby wipes to ‘shower.’ You’re going to need a shovel so you can use the bathroom.”
After a few days, the two came home, and Ben has been working to help organize local efforts, having seen the need in more rural communities first-hand. Through The Chris Long Foundation, for example, he was able to help coordinate the delivery of hundreds of cases of water.
“Asheville has all the resources they need, but it’s the other, small rural towns that are suffering and need everything they can get,” he says.
Do you have a story to share about volunteering to help WNC? Reach out to hello@itsthesway.com.
