Since Hurricane Helene hammered Western North Carolina, media coverage of the aftermath has focused on the impact felt in Asheville.

Having lived there from 2002 until 2020, I know the area very well. The stories from Asheville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, and all the small towns dotted around Buncombe and the surrounding counties are heartbreaking.

But beyond the towns, there are so many communities that are even smaller — places that might catch some momentary media attention because of an heroic helicopter rescue, but places that otherwise don’t even rise to the level of “forgotten” because they were barely known to anyone other than those who called them home.

(Report by outdoorsman, Jason Saylor)

U.S. Senator Ted Budd, made this glib remark:

“You know, this part of North Carolina is resilient mountain people. Given them a chainsaw, five gallons of gas, they’re going to be able to take care of themselves and their neighbors and if you give them some clean water, they’ll be OK — and a little food.”

No doubt the survivors are resilient people, but there’s only so much adversity that anyone can endure.

Budd and his fellow senators from across the South East acknowledge that billions of dollars of federal aid will be required for the recovery, yet he stipulated that such aid should not be used for “some sort of social justice program.”

It’s always the most twisted of ironies that so many of the people who enjoy the greatest privileges and who have access to the most resources, also express the view that those who have the least also need the least.

Ways to donate and help flood victims in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene