October 19, 2024

Reckoning with Hurricane Helene

Three weeks after devastation wreaked by Hurricane Helene, communities across large swaths of Appalachia and the Southeast are still reeling. We’re grateful to share that our staff and board members are safe. From our hollers to our cities, community members, businesses, faith groups, nonprofits and governments are all pitching in to help one another and the places we cherish. But as cold temperatures arrive, it’s clear the road to recovery will be long and challenging. Rebuilding a more resilient Appalachia will take everyone. 

Hurricane Helene recovery resources

Visit our Helene Relief webpage for some ways to help or to get assistance as the region recovers from Helene.

Making sense of the federal Hurricane Helene Response 

Learn more about FEMA’s relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene with this helpful FAQ by our government affairs specialist.

Organizations call on Congress to return to fund FEMA

More than 80 organizations signed onto a letter calling on members of Congress to return to D.C. to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Tell Congress to increase disaster recovery funding!

Lawmakers must strengthen federal resources for disaster recovery to help our communities rebound from Helene.

Making progress in the fight against TVA’s gas buildout

Early October saw two important developments in the fight against the Tennessee Valley Authority’s methane gas buildout: A federal judge suspended permits for the Cumberland Gas Pipeline, halting construction until the court issues a decision next year. And we and our partners filed a lawsuit against TVA’s decision to build a gas plant at its Kingston power plant location.

Coal-community leaders highlight economic transition progress

A coalition of organizations is urging 2024 presidential candidates to continue supporting sustainable development in coal-impacted communities, focusing on resilience, infrastructure and social services.

TVA’s long-term energy plan continues to disappoint

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s draft long-term energy plan offers several possible courses to even more methane gas expansion in the Tennessee Valley.

• Making Appalachia more flood resilient: A policy platform released earlier this year is heartbreakingly timely; it outlines what’s needed for Appalachia to better prevent and cope with increased flooding. 

• NC regulators approve air permit for methane gas project: Community members speak out against the proposed Moriah Energy Center. 

• Southwest Virginians discuss energy resilience: Highlights from the September meeting of the Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia

• How Appalachian states are spending $725 million: The latest infusion of abandoned mine cleanup dollars from the federal government is helping restore hillsides, repair water infrastructure, close mine portals and more.  

• “Night Magic” explores darkness: Author Leigh Ann Henion invites readers to fully experience darkness and the creatures that inhabit it.

Offices in:

Boone, NC • Charlottesville, VA

Knoxville, TN • Norton, VA

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