Hurricane Helene and Appalachia: The Climate Disaster Built on Environmental Injustice
by Savannah Collins
Hurricane Helene
On September 26th and 27th of 2024, Hurricane Helene barreled through the Appalachian Mountains. Dropping over 18 inches of rain in many mountainous areas, communication lines are still down and entire sections of roads and highways have been washed away. Following days of prior rainfall, the already saturated soil could not take anymore.
As of this writing, Hurricane Helene is the deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina. At least 227 people are reported dead across six states with hundreds more reported missing. At least 72 people are dead in Buncombe County, NC, alone. Due to the extremely isolated nature of these mountainous homes, search and rescue efforts are still underway to locate some of the community’s most vulnerable members. Asheville is projecting that drinking water will not be restored for weeks. President Biden has declared the majority of western North Carolina as a federal disaster area, making FEMA assistance available to those who meet the requirements.
FEMA’s disaster assistance will help people get back on their feet in the short-term, but there must be a focus on rebuilding for long-term climate resilience based on what works for the affected communities. While donating helps, more physical effort on the ground and federal investments are needed to get this historically underinvested and exploited area back on its feet.
Why Appalachia is an Environmental Justice Area
The devastating storm and resulting flooding are the direct effects of climate change. Appalachia has been at the root of exploitation for well over a century and is now at the “nexus of the climate crisis.”Beginning in the 1700s and ramping up with railroad expansion in the 1800s, Appalachia and the Appalachian people have been exploited for their natural resources and physical labor for generations. Environmental justice and labor issues are deeply intertwined in Appalachia. From coal mining to fracking for natural gas, the physical impacts on the people of Appalachia are growing and compounding.
Furthermore, the area is deeply rural and often does not receive investments in their infrastructure from the federal government. As seen in 2022 with major flooding in eastern Kentucky, the area’s mountainous topography and supposedly reclaimed mining sites have made flooding significantly worse. The infrastructure in this area actually brings more problems than solutions. In fact, a 2019 project found areas in central Appalachia with increased flood risks actually overlapped with landscapes damaged by mining operations.
Additionally, most Appalachian households lack access to broadband, making filling out FEMA forms online nearly impossible. According to the FEMA website, an unreliable internet connection will likely cause issues with completing the application, potentially slowing down disaster assistance. When an area is already isolated, as is the case in many hollers in Appalachia, receiving aid requires getting past many hurdles. In the past week, there have been reports of individuals delivering supplies and aid via horseback and mules because the devastated roadways are too dangerous for vehicles. Even with this isolation and distance from the coast, climate change exacerbated storms are still hitting Appalachia.
Not only have companies physically plundered the land for coal, oil, and natural gas, but now communities like Asheville and Weaverville are directly facing the consequences. Without a more honest and focused plan on the part of the federal government, Appalachia is likely to continue to suffer at the hands of climate change built on the exploited, undervalued labor of their ancestors.
Call to Action
Legislation must be geared toward physically rebuilding these areas for long-term resilience. Organizations like Appalachian Voices, Appalachians for Appalachia, and POWHR Coalition have already been doing the work, but they need more federal funding and support. Senators and Representatives for the area should consider the long-term for their constituents and stop catering to extractive industries that reap all the physical benefits without rebuilding the community. Funding from historic environmental legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, should be used to build back Appalachia for the almost certain natural disaster-filled future.