Western North Carolina Needs Our Help

Despite first hitting land in Florida, Hurricane Helene was particularly devastating in parts of North Carolina. According to BBC, the mountainous regions of Western North Carolina were hit hard because of the topography and the amount of rainfall they received. Some reports claim that some parts of the state received over six months of rainfall over the last week, resulting in flooding, washouts, and landslides. There are thousands of people unaccounted for, hundreds of deaths, and millions of people without power.

The city of Asheville was hit particularly hard, and Jared Harber (aka Southern Wonders) has set up a GoFundMe page with all proceeds being donated to Beloved Asheville. While he can’t share this on the GoFundMe page, he’s also putting together a prize pack that will be raffled off, and for every $20 you donate, you’ll be entered into the draw. Our friends at Rockgeist are safe, but their shop is almost entirely submerged, and they’ll need our support to rebuild. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by this unfathomable devastation.

Support Asheville GoFundMe

Hi! My name is Jared (@southernwonders). Many of you know that I live in central North Carolina and am incredibly proud to be a local in the state I’ve called home for nearly 30 years. As a cyclist, mountain biker, hiker, camper, and outdoor enthusiast, visiting the western part of the state to explore and have fun has been a sacred experience. Anytime I have friends in town, especially biking friends, that’s where I take them. Some of you have had the pleasure of visiting and riding in Appalachia, and I hope you hold those memories fondly.

On September 26th, Hurricane Helene moved inland, dumping close to three feet of rain on the mountains of western NC in a single day. This caused rivers to rise well above their normal levels, devastating small, rural mountain towns and the city of Asheville. These communities, which have hosted so many wonderful experiences and are home to industry giants like Industry Nine, Fox, Cane Creek, Rockgeist, and DeFeet, have been cut off from the world. They have no power, water, cell service, and most of the main highways in and out of the area have collapsed due to flooding or landslides.

I’m asking you to consider donating $20, or more if you have it, to this GoFundMe, which I will give to Beloved Asheville, a local nonprofit that’s on the ground distributing aid in the city right now. Donate to the GoFundMe here.

For more information on how to support Western North Carolina during these trying times, see this article from Blue Ridge Public Radio.

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