Eblen Charities has been assisting western North Carolinians since 1991. The nonprofit based in Asheville has stepped up to help locals by providing housing, gasoline and medical assistance in the weeks since Hurricane Helene impacted the area, and its executive director is hopeful the momentum will last for years to come.
“It has changed our area tremendously,” Beth Russo, executive director of Eblen Charities, told Fox News Digital. “Entire communities were washed away, people have lost their homes, their belongings, their loved ones.”
Russo said she has noticed Buncombe County residents have many different hurricane experiences, depending on where they live.
“Some of us have running water, and electricity and Wi-Fi,” she said. “And other folks are still living without all three of those items.”
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAIN TOWNS OPEN FOR BUSINESS, SEEKING TOURISTS FOLLOWING HELENE
Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage on Sept. 28, 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend on Thursday night with winds up to 140 mph and storm surges that killed at least 42 people in several states. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Restaurants, breweries, outdoor trails were all impacted by the intense storm, Russo said. While she and her colleagues are happy to be back to work helping people, she said the charity has seen “lines out the door” due to a need for assistance.
“People are coming to get gasoline, coming to get coats, coming to get diapers for their kids or disposable underwear for their aged mother that they might be caring for,” she said.
An Asheville-based salon was completely destroyed by Hurricane Helene. (Balm Salon Facebook)
Fundraising and grant writing have made it all possible for Eblen Charities.
Temperatures have dropped in the area this week, leading to further concern for people living without heat and housing.
HELENE DEVASTATION HURTS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA’S TOURISM ECONOMY, AIRBNB OWNER SAYS
People collect donated items at a shuttered gas station along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 7 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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About 40 miles west, mountain towns like Maggie Valley are working to get the word out that tourists are welcome, but Russo said Asheville is not quite ready to do the same.
“This is gonna be a long, complicated recovery,” Russo said, adding that she has witnessed some of the best of humanity over the last few weeks. “Please don’t forget us. For us, the story is just beginning.”