Caleb Renner, UNC School of Medicine 4th-year medical student and 2025-2026 NC Schweitzer Fellow, writes an op‑ed examining Hurricane Helene’s impact in Western NC, the strength of Appalachian communities in its aftermath, and why community‑based organizations are essential to preparing for future natural disasters.
An op-ed by Caleb Renner, UNC School of Medicine 4th-year medical student and 2025-2026 NC Schweitzer Fellow, was recently published. He explains that although Hurricane Helene brought enormous state and federal relief, the most immediate and effective help came from local communities during the first two days after the storm. He also shares that true resilience depends on strengthening community infrastructure long before a disaster occurs, especially in low‑income areas that face the greatest risks.
When Hurricane Helene struck, I was a third-year medical student at the University of North Carolina completing my clerkship rotations in my hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. On September 25th, 2024, torrential rains driven ahead of Hurricane Helene began sweeping through Western North Carolina (WNC). This predecessor rainfall event, combined with the more direct impacts of the hurricane proper, resulted in more than 30 inches of rain over a four-day period in some locations. This rainfall, coupled with significant winds, devastated WNC, resulting in 117 deaths and 53 billion dollars in damages.
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