Episode Details

When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina in September 2024, it came as a shock, hitting mountains, not coasts, and flooding rivers and communities with little experience of dealing with hurricanes. Helene quickly became one of the worst storms to ever hit the U.S., and in the absence of a quick response by state or federal government, other groups flooded in. Right-wing actors took advantage of the chaos, spreading rumors about looting and trying to boost their image. But it’s the mutual aid networks — some long standing, others new that responded with creative, effective strategies to distribute water, medicine and help communities rebuild. In this episode, Laura Flanders heads to some of the hardest-hit areas in western North Carolina and speaks with community activists to hear the lessons to be learned for the future. Amid Trump cuts to FEMA and the National Weather Service, the future for storm recovery in North Carolina is uncertain. But one thing's for sure — mutual aid support like Pansy Collective, Cherokee One Feather, Racial Justice Coalition (RJC), Rural Organizing and Resilience (ROAR) and Collaborativa La Milpa have the strategies and solutions we may all need for survival.

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