Mutual Aid in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Oct 11, 2024

Hurricane Helene has wrought untold devastation across several Southeastern states, and is the to have hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. So far more than 200 people are , and the cost of the estimated damage could be as high as .

Among the hardest hit areas is Asheville, North Carolina, where the has been devastated, hundreds of thousands remain , and a thriving arts district has been severely flooded. To make matters worse, and his billionaire backer have fueled wild conspiracy theories, in part based on their continued demonization of immigrants.

Lauren Steiner, an organizer, activist, and independent journalist based in Asheville, spoke with 大象传媒 Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on 大象传媒 Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about Helene鈥檚 impact, the government鈥檚 response, and how the local community is engaged in mutual aid efforts.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined 大象传媒 in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽大象传媒 Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.