In a collaborative effort to assist communities affected by Hurricane Helene, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, made his way to a Community Care Station in Asheville, Buncombe County today. The station, a hive of supportive activity, offers a crucial array of services—such as food and water distribution, hygiene facilities, and medical care—to help those facing the brunt of the hurricane's impact. "Today, I visited a Community Care Station in Asheville where I saw the massive effort by local, state and federal responders and volunteers to bring relief to Western North Carolina," Governor Cooper expressed in a statement obtained by the Governor's office.
Governor Cooper also delivered a cautionary message urging the community to seek information from reliable sources, he stated, "I urge everyone to confirm reports and information from trusted news sources and officials and be wary of bad actors on social media and the internet." In response to the disaster, the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) has been made available with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture—issued on October 18—and is projected to benefit over 150,000 applicants sharing up to $120 million, individuals in need have the opportunity to apply for D-SNAP through October 24 by phone or in person, more details, including application sites by county, can be found on NCDHHS's dedicated webpage.
The relief efforts are buoyed by the extensive mobilization of the North Carolina National Guard and Military Response, with over 3,150 Soldiers and Airmen operating in the region. Comprising the Joint Task Force-North Carolina, the military collective—bolstered by units from 12 different states, two XVIII Airborne Corps units from Ft. Liberty, a contingent from Ft. Campbell's 101st Airborne Division, and civilian responders—operates cohesively to extend critical aid throughout Western North Carolina, as the Governor's office reports.
Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plays a vital role in the ongoing recovery, focusing its expertise on the crucial infrastructure by assessing the conditions of water and wastewater treatment facilities along with dams, a proactive measure instrumental to ensuring public safety and the resilience of communities in the wake of natural calamities, for residents keen on monitoring the state of public water supply, an informative resource is available through an online portal provided by the Governor's office.
