by Constellation Response

Helene's Aftermath

 This storm looks like it might well be the greatest natural disas...
Helene's Aftermath

With all the chaos in the world right now, Helene caught us at Constellation Response off guard. This storm looks like it might well be the greatest natural disaster of the decade. Entire towns were wiped off the map, hundreds dead and counting, and inspiring stories of volunteers coming to aid getting squashed by governmental powers failing to control the situation. We put together a few takeaways from the last week of the aftermath.

 

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I. No one is coming to save you

Regional disasters like this strip away he veneer of order we think is normal in our everyday lives. It’s pure chaos, and understanding the full scope of the chaos is often impossible. Government rescue efforts, at their best, are going to be slow. They need to be organized, they need time to work with their partners to mobilize and get aid distributed. To them, this is running down a list of procedures and making sure the numbers add up on a spreadsheet. They need to have a 10,000-foot view of the situation, which often is too high to attend to the needs of you and your family after you're out of immediate danger. At least, that’s what it’s like when they are at their best.

 

At their worst, they hinder efforts to get those in need aide, and power struggles and red tape put the lives of victims at risk. There are a ton of stories of volunteers being told to leave, some even being threatened with arrest.

 

 

Confusion as other agencies tell volunteers to bother coming to help and not even to donate. 

 

 

 

 

Even a generous read (that being that relief workers are trying to stop untrained individuals from adding more chaos to an already chaotic situation), Helene made landfall 6 days ago. That’s far outside the window for someone with no supplies to survive.

 

 

 

Oh and FEMA is out of money.

 

 

 

You are going to be your own first responder when disaster strikes.

 

II. What can you do to help?

So now that you are sufficiently black pilled and/or enraged, what can you do about it?

Even though there are a ton of people being turned away that doesn’t mean there aren’t some getting through. United Cajun Navy is on the ground flying in supplies. They are great - help them out.

 

I'd personally stick to organizations you can trust that are also on the ground having succes. But if you see someone asking for money online and you feel compelled to give to them - vet them. Here are a few tips.

  1. Check if you have mutuals on social media
  2. Check their affiliations (are they with a Church? A legitimate organization on the ground?)
  3. Ask for credentials

 

III. What can you do to prepare?

There are some basic preps you should be doing no matter what:

  • Make sure you have at least 5 days of food and water on hand at all times. I like backpacking - so always having enough food for a five-day trip in the backcountry is an easy way to prep without refrigeration.
  • Have your security measures tuned up.
    • Looters are going to always be a concern because desperate people do desperate things. Help those you can, but don't let others help themselves to what you need.

    • Clean your guns you haven't paid much attention to in a while. Make sure your gear is set up and ready to go.
  • Comms - Radios and Starlink have been literal life savers during the rescue efforts.

 

Learn and Get Involved

  • Look up CERT chapters in your area.
    • It's free training that will help you plug into local emergency response teams in your area.
    • It's also affiliated with FEMA, which means your training will align with them, getting you around a lot of the rough edges that many of the volunteers are seeing in Appalachia.
    • I've even heard reports in other disaster scenarios that CERT members have been able to gain access to areas that local first responders have been blocked from by Federal Aid. It's worth your time to do this now.

 

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