'Towns are gone': In Helene-devastated Asheville, NC, volunteers battle misinformation and 'apocalyptic' wreckage

Over the past two weeks, people around the country have watched in horror as our neighbors and fellow workers have been battered by the successive disasters of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. “After making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26 and tearing through the Gulf Coast of Florida,” Adeel Hassan and Isabelle Taft write in The New York Times, “Helene plowed north through Georgia and walloped the Blue Ridge Mountains, washing out roads, causing landslides and knocking out power and cell service for millions of people. Across western North Carolina, towns were destroyed, water and fuel supplies were disrupted, and residents were in a communications black hole, scrambling for Wi-Fi to try to reach friends and family... As of Oct. 6, there were more than 230 confirmed deaths from the storm.” The hurricanes have passed, but the devastation and dire need they left in their wake remain. In this urgent mini-cast, we speak with two guests who are on the ground in Asheville, NC, providing relief and mutual aid to their community: Byon Ballard, a cofounder of the Mother Grove Goddess Temple in Asheville, where she serves as Senior Priestess, and Lori Freshwater, a journalist and relief aid volunteer who is originally from North Carolina.

Additional links/info below:

• Mother Grove Goddess Temple website, Facebook page, and Instagram
• Mother Grove Goddess Temple volunteer and donation information page
• Beloved Asheville website, Facebook page, and Instagram
• Adeel Hassan & Isabelle Taft, The New York Times, “What we know about Hurricane Helene’s destruction so far”
• Dharna Noor, The Guardian, “Double punch of hurricanes could become common due to climate crisis”
• Oliver Milman, The Guardian, “‘It’s mindblowing’: US meteorologists face death threats as hurricane conspiracies surge”
• Oliver Milman & Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, “Global heating makes hurricanes like Helene twice as likely, data shows”
• Lauren Aratani, The Guardian, “Insurance is failing hurricane survivors: ‘People thought they were covered’”

Permanent links below:

• Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
• Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• The Real News Network website, YouTubechannel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music: Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme Song
Studio Production: Max Alvarez
Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

Sign up for our newsletter
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Donate to support this podcast

Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.

Follow us on:
Bluesky: @therealnews.com
Facebook: The Real News Network
Twitter: @TheRealNews
YouTube: @therealnews
Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork

Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!