When Hurricane Helene occurred, the people impacted the most were those in poverty as well as those with no connections outside of their home or community in the mountains. The people of western North Carolina lost mostly everything during the disaster including access to fresh water, food, documents, and transportation. Those in poverty will have to rebuild everything even though they were struggling financially beforehand, and flood insurance was not really thought of in that area. Luckily for those who do have family or friends outside of the mountains had people to assist them in having a place to stay and resources to get them back on their feet while people who did not may feel completely abandoned in this situation.

The amount of destruction that occurred to the area made it difficult for emergency responders and volunteers to navigate through the mountains to find those in need of assistance. Also, many volunteers were turned away due to the severity of the damage done to the landscape. The risk of others getting stuck was deemed greater than them going out and trying to save the people in need. Hotel rooms, gas, and other supplies were scarce as well which also put a strain on the people.

For those out of state, the response to Helene has been mainly political. Discussions of FEMA’s shortcomings were often spread on the news and on social media. For those in North Carolina, emotions were heightened by the information as well as misinformation spread on social media such as Tik Tok, Facebook, and local news. Many volunteers used social media to get a better grasp of what the situation looked like there and the best way to go about helping the affected individuals. Overall, social media gave us a better idea of the situation from the perspectives of the volunteers and the victims.