ASHEVILLE, N.C. — In Western North Carolina, power is starting to be restored for some, but others are still left without electricity, food or water.
Residents are struggling to find resources, and there is a long road ahead when it comes to recovering from Hurricane Helene. One Asheville woman wasn’t home when the storm hit, yet despite being far away, has found a unique way to help her community.
"It's just people helping people," Jaclyn Shea said.
Asheville's Jaclyn Shea said following Hurricane Helene's hit, she realized that a lot of people were without food, water, power and electricity for days on end. Unlike several Western North Carolina residents, she was still able to access wifi after the storm.
Seeing the needs in her community, she compiled a list of resources to support victims that went viral on social media. This led her to create a document where others could add resources.
"It pretty much just blew up overnight," Shea said. "People are adding where they’re getting groceries, where you can get gas, is it cash only, are they taking card, where can you get a hot meal...it’s grown now to a 40-page doc in 4 languages, available offline, almost every resource under the sun you can imagine is listed."
Today that document has turned into a website visited by over 12,000 people, with 50-70 people committed to updating it regularly. Leading this effort, Shea says, has helped her channel feelings of helplessness into making a positive impact on the community in the hurricane's aftermath.
"It’s been hard. You know it’s kind of like I’m just constantly on my phone and in a way it’s still traumatic, but you feel helpless. And so starting this was a way that I kind of channeled that energy and helped me feel like I was making a difference." Shea said.
Across North Carolina, dozens have continued to come together to support recovery efforts for impacted families.
"I feel in awe of the community. Right now a lot of efforts are community-based, neighbors helping neighbors. It’s like how do we all help each other and that’s not going to stop in a month, in a few weeks, in a few months." Shea said.
For Jaclyn's complete list of resources, click here. To support Hurricane Helene victims with WBIR's collaboration with the American Red Cross, click here.