Disaster Relief Response: WNC and Beyond

Report from the Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub (RUMAH) about recent mutual aid and autonomous disaster relief efforts in North Carolina. Originally posted here.

It’s been a bittersweet ending to this chapter of our disaster relief journey. At the beginning of 2025, we were under the impression The People’s Warehouse would continue for the rest of the year. However, due to politics, we learned at the last minute that our dream had to end. The Trump administration withdrew the EPA grant awarded at the end of last year to Democracy Green, the organization whose warehouse we were sharing. To add insult to injury, media outlets including Fox News and the Free Beacon doxxed and attacked several senior members of Democracy Green, forcing them into hiding. These blatantly racist and misogynistic attacks follow a pattern that’s become all too familiar in recent months: whip up a frenzy against any initiative that is Black-led, or woman-led, or Indigenous-led, all on the grounds of “eliminating DEI.” The real motivations behind the de-funding of Democracy Green are, of course, perfectly transparent for anyone outside the right-wing propaganda bubble. You can learn more about that here.

After learning we would no longer have the assistance of Democracy Green in keeping the warehouse, we made other attempts to secure it for the community. Unfortunately, it was not in the cards. The property owners wanted $15k a month to become tenants, which was way out of our budget. However, we were lucky to have had the warehouse as long as we did. The owner was gracious enough to let us use the space for free for seven months. And we are extremely grateful for that time! During that period, we were able to secure more than 150+ pallets of clothing, toilet paper, hygiene kits, diapers, blankets, tools, medicine, and other essential mutual aid items. Through all the ebb and flow of chaos, we learned a lot, and now feel more prepared than ever to connect locally and regionally when the next disaster strikes.

Our region of the state has been lucky, due to its diverse economics and climate bubble. The hits by climate or economic disasters are not as hard as other areas of the country. However we are in danger of losing that diversity with pushes of mono-cultures of tech business ventures and hospitality industries to serve them. Building a safety net for the community regardless of our bubble, is crucial. Bubbles do not last forever.

Our visits to the surrounding regions opened our eyes to the wide range of needs and issues across different communities. No two communities have the same exact needs, so it’s misguided to pigeon-hole disaster relief. It is key to listen to your body’s limits, listen to what your neighbors say is needed, and listen to what they can offer to share in return. Burning yourself out and delivering something that isn’t needed is a waste of time and energy for everyone.

To get the absolute most out of the supplies left over at the People’s Warehouse, we undertook a series of journeys across a huge swath of Appalachia. These trips were often one right after the other. Each place delivered to, helped us in some way in return, either by accepting supplies they didn’t currently need, making connections, exchanging excess goods, or teaching us of local conflict and overlapping struggles. All of the connections were made possible through Distribute Aid, the MADR networks, and the use of a free box truck rental through Good360.

Since January of this year, storms and floods have been rampant in other parts of Appalachia: eastern Kentucky (EKY), southern parts of West Virginia, and southwestern Virginia (SWVA). We planned a delivery and an exchange with a warehouse in Atlanta. This swap of supplies was to be ferried up to Big Stone Gap, VA. Driving to Atlanta in a box truck isn’t too bad, as long as you have company.

Once we completed the switch in Atlanta, we spent time with a representative of Distribute Aid, and a member of ATL Solidarity Fund. Beyond these groups, they participate in the local mutual aid groups such as Food Not Bombs and ATL Survival Program. Our new friend shared their stories and history of activism in Atlanta and the excessive state repression they experienced after their work on ATL Solidarity Fund. The state pushed RICO charges on them and their comrades, but luckily, it hasn’t stuck yet, they are still fighting. Today their home stands as a defiance to the surrounding expensive gentrified homes in their neighborhood. If you haven’t heard of Stop Cop City or about ATL Solidarity Fund, you certainly need to change that! Click the links above, spread the word, and support the defendants!

Even when our box truck broke down on the way back from Atlanta, the disaster relief community had our backs. MADR was on call and ready to find local friends to assist. However with Good360, a relief organization that grants rental coverage for people delivering to disaster zones, we didn’t need MADR’s assistance. The rental company towed to the nearest truck rental shop and we were able to pack all our inventory into a new ride from there. While it was indeed 3:00am when we finished, we were grateful we had this free rental truck covered through them! I can only imagine what it would have been like if we owned the truck, we would have been up the creek without a paddle!

Not long after getting back to Raleigh, the next trip was already on the books for Big Stone Gap, VA, which is located right beside the mountain border to Eastern Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky and SWVA at this point had been hit pretty hard with flooding just a few weeks before this trip. During this trip we had Josh Powell follow us to document part of our journey to share with the community at large. Josh Powell was inspired by RUMAH, and started a non-profit to help grassroots organizations with media creation. He reached out and offered to record by following along. We thank you Josh! Learn more about his non-profit here, Reacher Collaborative.

It’s not always a good idea to travel to the epicenter of a disaster zone. It is often safer and more efficient to get supplies to the hubs just outside of them. Big Stone Gap was that spot for us and is almost 7 hours from Raleigh, so we made it a two day trip, stopping at a volunteer’s place halfway! You can view the highlights of our trip to Big Stone Gap below, courtesy of Reacher Collaborative.

In Big Stone Gap, we met up with Care Collective of SWVA at the hub of SAMS (Southern Appalachian Mountain Steward), a partner of theirs. SAMS has primarily raised advocacy about the environmental dangers of mountaintop removal in Appalachia and provided space to the community for organizing and mutual aid at their “Mountain Movement Hub.” Together, Care Collective and SAMS have been serving the community to get access to basic living supplies, helping to organize wellness access, and supporting the fight for local environmental justice. Mountaintop removal causes rampant habitat destruction and releases toxins into the environment, polluting water and air quality, all while contributing to climate change. Other mutual aid projects they work with in their area are Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid (LPMA) and Cumberland Mountain Mutual Aid (CMMA).

The following supply trip was a two day trip, all deliveries done in one day. This was to Western NC, specifically Asheville, to Canton, up to Tennessee, Johnson City, then finally to Bristol, VA. This was to ferry supplies to multiple groups up and down the region. That morning, I rode to Asheville from Raleigh, and I met up with a local MASK Bloc from Black Mountain at Appalachian Medical Solidarity (AMS) and Pansy Collective’s new organizing space. Here, I delivered some masks to the MASK Bloc folks and other harm reduction supplies for AMS. The Black Mountain volunteers were extremely grateful, as they were directly working with people enduring the smoke from the wildfires out in their county.

From there, I traveled to Canton NC to drop off diapers, maternity/postpartum items, hygiene products, clothing, and other much needed items to a free store operated by Rednecks Rising. The Redneck Rising people told me that there were families in the area that needed the very items we dropped off for them — specifically a new mom in need of baby supplies— which we heard later they were very excited to receive the supplies to share! All three of these NC groups are doing some incredible work in WNC with queer advocacy, homelessness advocacy, and providing free healthcare and hygiene supplies to those in need. Please follow them and support their work!

After completing the drop in Canton, I had to hit the road. I was scheduled to rendezvous with volunteers in Johnson City, TN, but my official last stop for the day would be in Bristol, VA. At the rendezvous, I was able to meet a person with Tri-Cities Mutual Aid. Here, they were packing up and preparing for their local “Free Store” day that they do once a month. Not quite like a Really Really Free Market, but more like a distribution of a bunch of the supplies that the community came together to donate to everyone at large. I learned that Tri-Cities is the colloquial name for the area, which includes Johnson City (TN), Bristol (TN/VA), and Kingsport (TN), similar to how we call ourselves the Triangle in NC (Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh). Bristol lies smack dab on the border of Tennessee and Virginia, where they have the city cut in half right down the middle. Bristol, VA isn’t far from Johnson City, TN.

A few months back, prior to learning much about Johnson City, a group from their area reached out for advice on opening a hub similar to RUMAH. It turns out Tri-Cities Mutual Aid is directly connected to these same people, and they are about to open their first hub! It was heartwarming to directly meet folks involved. Follow, support, and spread the word to people who live out there if you can! During this stop I mostly helped with some manual labor of packing and story sharing. The rest of the supply haul I had was meant for my Bristol connection.

After sharing our goodbyes, I followed one of the volunteers to his home in Bristol. Here, we unloaded the rest of the supplies which were “job boxes” full of mucking and gutting supplies to be ferried to other volunteers out in Eastern Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky was hit with even more flooding and disaster this past winter/spring. Many EKY people came down to help with Helene relief, we felt we must contribute to them somehow in return! Follow and support eKY mutual aid (hillbillies helping hillbillies) to keep up to date with their needs and how to help! Eight job boxes full of supplies were unloaded into a garage to be ferried to EKY later in the week. My new friend and his fiance then treated me to a drink and food on top of the side of a local mountainside brewery.

Tri-Cities is a lovely area with, surprising to me, a lively queer community. I saw pride flags on homes in Bristol and heard they have their own pride every year in Kingsport. We must not forget, queer people exist everywhere, even in the nooks and crannies of mountains. I stayed in Bristol, and left the next morning to return home. My gracious host saw me off early the next day, after I helped him pack up for his next trip to deliver aid. Upon getting home, my next few trips on the list were Richmond, Blacksburg, and finally Augusta.

In Richmond, I connected with Mutual Aid Distribution Richmond (aka MAD-RVA). This was an easy day trip! MAD-RVA manages a public free store that acts as a hub called Meadowbridge Community Market. They are more focused on giving items and less on events. They struggle with having toiletries and eggs made available, but have an abundance of other food donations. We delivered 100+ cases of KN95 & N95 masks and talked about our communities together. We are looking forward to strengthening our bonds with them because they are the closest place to us outside of the other towns we visited. With this delivery were able to facilitate a successful drop that went to supplying different mask bloc collectives in Virginia, deepening the solidarity networks between VA and NC.

Furthermore, back in January, the city of Richmond had a widespread waterline failure for a week and we delivered 10 pallets of water to Meadowbridge to distribute. They shared their gratitude and that every last water was given out! Follow MAD-RVA and support their mission! They are currently fundraising to buy the building they are running the free store out of. Share and tell your friends and family that frequent Richmond, VA!

Next were multiple trips to Blacksburg VA. Luckily a volunteer had a place for us to stay halfway between Blacksburg and Raleigh, so we were able to rest in between deliveries. In Blacksburg’s mutual aid scene we connected with Holler2Holler (H2H) who focuses primarily on disaster relief & preparedness. However, they have other local mutual aid projects they work with like the Pulaski Free Store and the Eastmont Community Garden in Elliston, VA.

H2H has also been working to support organizations like From Below in Southern West Virginia affected by recent flooding, as well as ongoing industrial environmental disasters. Communities across the coalfields have been dealing with chemically contaminated water from nearby mining operations with very little support or acknowledgement from local or state officials. Highly corrosive pollutants have made their way into community waterways, springs and personal wells, forcing water to be hauled in for any kind of use.

Alongside this effort, H2H has been regularly sending volunteers to help muck and gut homes in these same areas, attending local mutual aid fairs, and sending supplies to other free stores/shelters in the region. We delivered the last of our water and the majority of our other supplies to Blacksburg. Shout out to Lifting Hands International, a mutual aid organization in Salt Lake City, Utah, for all their hard work putting together donations and sending them across the nation and overseas to communities in need! A good chunk of their donations were disseminated across Appalachia, donated to H2H, and our areas.

During Easter weekend, Augusta, GA was our final trip to emptying the warehouse entirely. Here lies a sleepy paper mill town in the foothills of northern Georgia, not too far from Atlanta. We met up with locals whose family owned coffee shop had dedicated part of their warehouse space to disaster relief. The supplies we brought were various kinds of clothing that they could use in town and then supplies that were promised to MADR, for gulf coast clean up crews. We wanted to ensure it would go to a safe place for storage and after meeting the people at the coffee shop, we knew they were left in good hands! They even had some extra supplies they were happy to share with us that we knew our community could use (boxes of socks).

They provided us with a place to stay, and some lovely spirits for the evening. The coffee shop family has been primarily doing this on their own, no special group or name. They have certainly worked tirelessly to help their community. Helene and other storms since then had unexpectedly affected their town. People are still struggling to even get their children to school with roads still blocked by tree debris in addition to struggling to have basic living necessities available. It’s been a long hard ordeal for them trying to navigate working in the community with not a ton of volunteer assistance. The town is small but a golfing tourist town.

I encouraged them to reach out more to their community for assistance, although I understand it can be an uphill battle. When you have such little people power, after experiencing traumatic events and the continuous need for on the ground work, you burn out. You don’t even have the energy to put into asking for help. There hasn’t been any acknowledgement or help from their local city government or state. The town’s only focus is on golf tourism and wealthy visitors, not its constituents. The following day, we wished them luck, and encouraged them to rest as much as they need, and to ask for help when they can. Follow and support their coffee shop if you’re ever around in Augusta, GA. Their coffee is phenomenal! Buona Caffe Artisan Roasted Coffee!

Alas, the People’s Warehouse saga came to an end…

Swept, emptied, closed, and key returned. I and others have been recuperating ever since the end of April. There’s a mourning period for everything that has happened, what is still happening, and what could have been. The ongoing relief isn’t over for so many in WNC and other regions. So many are still actively working to survive and stay alive. There are what they call phases of disaster relief, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd phases, as an attempt to have an easy way to explain to people the priority of needs. Even so, you learn that sometimes for many places, they never get past phase one, or it’s just all three phases happening continuously. Either due to more natural disasters, state or national failures to assist consistently, or mixtures of both. When disaster strikes, majority of the time, there isn’t an ending resolution, and the crisis continues at a slow burn. It lingers, in a variety of ways. There is no linear path to healing.

You don’t think about it in the moment when disaster strikes, you are abandoning what you are doing to tend to a crisis. The longer the crisis continues, the self-abandonment is prolonged. At the time you think it’s just for this “moment”. But that moment can turn into weeks, into months, and even years. At which point, you may find yourself in a predicament, of having self-abandoned for so long to handle crisis after crisis, you are running on less than empty. You have to aid yourself, not just physically but mentally, in finding who you are as a person again. We lose ourselves and our connection to who we are individually.

I find myself deeply reflecting on people who do this kind of work, other forms of activism, and the macro and micro of crises in our everyday lives. Reflecting on issues such as the environmental destruction, housing crisis, food insecurity, and genocide. Even for those in other kinds of crisis such as personal losses like death or heavy breakups. Chronic slow burn self-abandonment develops when dealing with one crisis after another. We can lose ourselves for years at a time. We are never holding enough space for the pain and grief of incidents. This can harm ourselves, other parts of our lives, and people due to the low capacity we have. As an individual, I realized I already had been experiencing that chronic slow burn prior to Helene hitting.

It can be never ending, so how does one come back from prolonged abandonment? Whatever the case for the individual, continuous self abandonment isn’t sustainable or practical. It becomes numbing, it is burnout. We get lost in a daze and need help snapping out of it. There is the age-old question in movements “how do we prevent burnout?” Some people who participate in mutual aid, are pro-athletes at self-abandonment, it turns into a comfort zone. It’s one of the reasons why we are good at this work; it’s a survival mechanism. We all run away from something with ourselves, at some point in our lives.

Prevention starts with the person, to reflect on their commitment to longevity, to love themselves, and that they are a person that matters too. And the acceptance that grief and pain are part of our experience to feel, we can’t run away from it. Loving yourself means holding space for the myriad of ways grief exists and allowing to feel it. Holding space for it is much harder than it sounds, cause we delude ourselves and it’s painful. Regardless of how, it is crucial to hold it for our pain and sadness, to reconnect with who we are or can be, as people. Self-abandonment is its own first layer of grief with the deeper ones we bury.

I don’t think there is a formula to fix burnout. But I think sometimes it can be a simple step as having a community that is dedicated to being there for each other so we can tap out to tend to ourselves, tend to our grief, to come back to a place of love and home for a while before jumping back in the slow burn. Attaching the concept of self-abandonment and the idea that being at such a low capacity can end up hurting others around us, really helps take things more seriously. Martyring yourself is not cute and isn’t a compliment. That framing holds more weight for me, in a society that teaches us to abandon ourselves for the sake of profit, progress, labor or accomplishment. It isn’t something to glorify but to rectify and hold ourselves accountable to coming back to ourselves.

None of the work in this disaster relief chapter for Helene would have been possible without having each other nor would it have lasted as long as it had. Listen to yourself, your limits, stick to your mind and body’s boundaries, and be open to all the nuances in between. Tend to your garden, and it nurtures you and your surroundings.

I implore you, to go outside of your bubble. Get to know your neighbors. Now, get to know your neighbor’s neighbors…. now get to know your neighbors outside of your neighborhood. Next, get to know other towns around you, maybe even just outside of your state, explore communities in and around you, if you’re able. This is what will build resiliency moving forward.

Ask about their hardships and what they are going through, ask about their successes and what they are proud of. Ask how we can support one another in both endeavors. Recognize your shortcomings and struggles, and then your own privileges and successes. Ask yourself how you can balance these in tandem with an exchange with the people and connections you’ve made around you.

This might seem obvious to some people, but to many it is not. As technology and social media advanced over the years, it’s torn us away from real human connection and experiencing the world. We have more control over our lives than we realize, we shape our future and it’s in the hands of the many, not the few. Going outside of your bubble you learn there is no scarcity if we have each other and it’s evident that we cannot rely on overarching systems. If you feel overwhelmed by our capitalist society and don’t know how to connect or contribute; the smallest visits to community events, spaces, financial contribution, monthly book clubs, picnics in the park, or joining a communal gardening space, are enough and wonderful first steps towards a different world. The more steps taken, the more change that happens in your life and your immediate surroundings.

I’d like to express an overwhelming amount of gratitude, to all who’ve been involved and supported us financially, physically, emotionally, and those who spread the word. We are so hopeful for the future and solidifying a preparedness in our community.

In solidarity and bright blessings for a new world,
Esor

If you are interested in getting involved with the future or current endeavors of disaster relief responses, you can contact us at trianglevolunteersmadr@gmail.com

Are you a local business in the Triangle (Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh) and want to dedicate a little part of your storage or warehouse space to disaster relief pre-positioning? Just outside of this area? We are a 501c3 and you can put yourself down for a tax write off!

Do you own land that can hold a storage container? Or a building that can be used to help store disaster relief repositioning? Do you have a box truck to donate for storage or use in the future?

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! AND REACH OUT TO US!
Contact us at trianglevolunteersmadr@gmail.com