I’m from Appalachia and my Christmas visit after Hurricane Helena revealed what DC really thinks of us
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When I was visiting my family for Christmas just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to work with a local church to deliver Christmas gifts and supplies to families in my home county of less than 20,000 people, located on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.
This experience gave me the opportunity to listen to the stories of my neighbors, many of whom I have known all my life.
One story caught my eye. A multi-generational household of six living in a fifth-wheel trailer. They had lost their home and everything they valued – except their faith.
Unfortunately, their story is all too familiar in the small mountain communities of southern Appalachia.
Almost five months have passed since then hurricane helene forever reshaped the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina.
In the months that followed, we saw the true nature of humanity.
Our community has come together. Companies help each other in cleaning and restoration. Churches continue to deliver warm clothing and hot meals on foot and on horseback. Non-profit organizations from across the Southeast deliver needed supplies such as diapers, blankets and baby formula.
It was Elon Musk, with the help of private citizens like former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and the Cajun Navy who delivered Starlink routers to every crevice of Western North Carolina, connecting us to the outside world.
Western North Carolina and southern Appalachia are rebuilding themselves.
The federal government has been slow to respond and help despite incredible efforts by leaders like Congressman Chuck Edwards and Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd.
Partisan politics has slowed down relief effortsand many in Raleigh and Washington are putting fun before people.
With temperatures dropping and snow falling each week, many North Carolinians are left homeless, relying on tents for shelter.
FEMA has delivered trailers to the region, but has failed to effectively approve those who applied for them nearly five months ago.
The shining light through this storm is the resilience of Appalachia. Despite the instigators on both sides trying to use this disaster for their own political gain, our communities have come together and helped each other.
Cities like Marshall, North Carolina plan to reopen in the coming months despite more than half of the city being destroyed by floodwaters.
In the 25+ years that I have called Western North Carolina home, we are stronger than I have ever seen before.
However, the strength and resilience of our community can only sustain our perception of normality for so long.
Western North Carolina is desperate.
Leaders on both sides of the aisle need to hold accountable a government bureaucracy that defies the needs of our communities.
Winter is just beginning. With single-digit temperatures and negative winds, churches and nonprofits are jumping into action to fill the ever-present void left by inefficient government bureaucracy.
The time to act was five months ago, but late action is better than no action.
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Our community desperately needed investment in affordable housing and infrastructure to boost our local economies and give families the resources they need to get back on their feet.
Insurance companies are redefining flood zones; many families are thrown out of their homes and properties. The Small Business Administration is running out of money, slowing recovery in regions that desperately need economic opportunity. And county and municipal governments are relying on the slow distribution of disaster relief funds to bring critical agencies back online.
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This is not a political issue and should not be controversial. For more than 100 years, Appalachia has been left behind by our federal government. Now, when we need them most, they still can’t be bothered to act urgently.
Appalachia will not define the Hellenes; it will be defined by the overwhelming response of the people who call these mountains home.
