On Feb. 2, a group of wealthy people gathered in a fancy building in designer wear that cost more than rent for a single-bedroom apartment in Asheville and asked the viewers at home to donate to LA fire disaster relief funds.
The Grammys are nothing new, but this year felt a bit different. While people suffer from natural disasters on both sides of the country, such a lavish display of wealth was off-putting.
I’m not suggesting the Grammys should’ve been canceled because of the recent fires, but the award ceremony seemed insensitive. However, they were able to raise $125 million in fire relief.
It’s not just the out-of-touch attitude that upset me, but the lack of acknowledgment for the deadliest hurricane since Maria, with more than $60 billion in damages and 105 storm-related deaths just in the state of North Carolina.
When I saw the damage of Hurricane Helene, one of my first thoughts was Western North Carolina would never be the same. While I wanted to have hope, I knew the rest of the country would once again forget about southern Appalachia within a few weeks.
Outside the people who have loved ones here and the ones who call it home, southern Appalachia is simply a vacation spot in the fall and an afterthought for the rest of the year.
The worst of the aftermath of the hurricane is unfortunately far from over. Many areas are still covered in debris, which is highly flammable, as seen in Old Fort. The fire in McDowell County is still not contained and has reached over 600 acres, forcing residents to evacuate their homes for the second time in recent months.
March will mark six months since Helene, and despite everyone’s best efforts, many areas remain untouched. There’s plenty of damage to fix, including homes, businesses, and schools, with residents living in hotels or on the streets.
Various fundraisers produced $200 million in three months for western North Carolina by December. The Grammy’s and related fundraisers raised an estimated $120 million in a little over a week.
I’m aware that proximity is a factor, but it still showcases the level of disconnect the richer population of the country has from what goes on outside their bubble. Though I was not born and raised in the area, Asheville has become my home over the past three years, and watching this area be left behind is painful.
Some parts of New Orleans remain untouched after Katrina, which was 20 years ago, and I fear that may be what happens to southern Appalachia. Many areas left behind had populations of people of color and poor people. New Orleans residents still feel Katrina’s financial burden, and I fear we will have to watch history repeat itself.
Once again, the rest of the country is forgetting marginalized communities since their stories are no longer breaking news while we are faced with the destruction of hurricanes every day.
WNC doesn’t have enough money on its own, and neither does the state, and the current president is exploring the potential for cutting FEMA and shifting the responsibility to the states.
A city like LA will have some problems bouncing back, as a natural disaster is disastrous no matter where it is, but I worry for the future of western North Carolina and the rest of southern Appalachia. I worry we will be forgotten just like New Orleans, left to pick up what is left of our homes and cities while the rest of the country moves on since their favorite tourist locations are reopened.