Just days before Hurricane Helene hit Western NC, a mother and her three daughters, including one autistic child, moved from Florida to Asheville. Mom thought she had secured the most important piece of their new start: safe housing with a Section 8 voucher. But as the storm approached, her plans unraveled. The apartment complex she planned to move into suddenly claimed it had no Section 8 units available, even though emails confirmed otherwise. With nowhere else to go, the family ended up in a disaster shelter, awaiting the storm, unsure what would come next.
Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) staff met the family in Asheville at a disaster relief hub during our monitoring working the affected region. Using our authority as NC’s Protection and Advocacy organization, DRNC staff monitored numerous disaster shelters to ensure they were accessible and that residents fully understood their rights and the services available to them.
Our advocates guided this family through the process of finding permanent housing and connected them with autism-related assistance and community resources including Vaya Health, the school district, and other connections to start building a web of support.
The family found a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home approved for Section 8, and with DRNC’s advocacy, the Red Cross stepped in to help cover move-in costs. With stable housing and the right supports in place, the family could finally focus on building their new life.
“In moments like this, our work is about more than just advocacy, it’s about helping families rebuild their lives with dignity and security,” said Curtis Hill, Supervising Advocate for Outreach and Disaster Response at DRNC. “Every person with a disability deserves to know that even in the midst of disaster, they are not alone, and help is available.”
This is just one story. There are many others like them, including, unfortunately, those with much less favorable outcomes.
In Asheville and surrounding areas devasted by the powerful storm, elderly and disabled survivors went weeks without reliable power or clean water. Many couldn’t refrigerate insulin, recharge oxygen tanks, or evacuate safely. Some public housing residents were trapped in high-rises where toilets overflowed and water for flushing had to be delivered by hand. Communication for Deaf or Hard of Hearing people was often inaccessible.
Hurricane Helene and prior natural disasters demonstrated yet again that disabled people must be considered in disaster planning before, during, and after significant weather events.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has programs for disabled disaster survivors, but reduced staffing has resulted in many disabled people slipping through the cracks. Community based organizations, nonprofits, and mutual aid groups did considerable work to fill the gaps, demonstrating the power of community. But the devastation was so great that even with help pouring in from across the country, some people could not access the help they needed when they needed it most.
It is well known that weather events like Hurricane Helene disproportionally impact disabled people every step of the way, from challenges with disaster communications to lack of accessible shelters. In North Carolina, one in three people have a disability. The importance of disaster planning that recognizes and includes the needs of disabled individuals cannot be overstated.
One year later, the lesson is clear: the cost of acting now is always less than the cost of doing nothing. Hurricane Helene was devastating, but it wasn’t unique. Extreme weather is our new reality. Western North Carolinians have shown incredible resilience and strength, but we must all work together to prepare every North Carolinian for the next event, and that preparation must include people with disabilities.