In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. While the Gulf Coast is no stranger to extreme weather, Hurricane Helene’s impact further inland as a tropical storm was devastating. North Carolina’s western Appalachian region was particularly hit hard by extreme amounts of rainfall.
The Alliance for Green Heat checked in with our firewood bank grantees in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee to get a pulse on damage to their firewood distribution programs and the impact flooding had on the communities they serve. They all recognized that it would not be a “business as usual” heating season for them. The need in their community for heating sources and the repurposing of downed trees had just dramatically skyrocketed. Knowing this, AGH opened up a special grant application for previously funded firewood banks in the area to receive up to $15,000 for additional equipment, seasoned wood, and labor costs. We also began spreading the word that if firewood distribution programs did pop up during this time to deal with the intense amount of surplus wood and the additional members of the community that suddenly found their lives radically different, that we would personally help them through our start-up grant process to quickly get them $15,000 to more safely and efficiently process firewood.
Flood Relief Grantees
Below are grantees who qualified for the special grant for renewals due to flood relief efforts:
Rural Organizing and Resilience (ROAR), Marshall, NC, $14,049
Impact of Flooding: "We have towns and neighborhoods without power or water. We have people without homes or jobs. We have seen entire towns, roads, small businesses, and bridges destroyed. Now, with the cold temperatures setting in and longer term impacts starting to become very real, we are wanting to also ensure our neighbors have free firewood available to heat their homes this winter, especially while they navigate storm recovery. Most people are facing limited capacity, including arborists we work with to source seasoned wood who are covered up volunteering their time toward clearing downed trees from peoples’ homes and roads."
Purchased: PPE, a shed, two log splitters, a trailer, and covered the purchase of seasoned wood and labor
Keep up with ROAR’s mutual aid operation on their Facebook page.
Images from Rural Organizing and Resilience firewood bank program in late October 2024.
Baptist Men "Woodchucks," Lansing, NC, $15,000
Impact: "The impact that flooding had in Ashe County is the devastation to our infrastructure, homes, businesses, and complete communities flooded and some even washed away. Many roads and driveways have been washed out or compromised which will make wood deliveries tricky. Homes and businesses have been flooded and are requiring basements and living space to be torn out. Power has been disrupted, crews are working hard to replace poles and remove fallen trees. Due to all aforementioned, our school district is unsure when schools will be reopening. Woodchucks had approximately 20 cords of stockpiled seasoned wood washed away and one of our splitters was submerged in floodwaters."
Purchased: log splitter, logs, and a dump trailer
Crossfire United Methodist Church Wood Ministry, Yadkinville, NC, $14,999
Impact: "Helene was devastating to Wilkes and the mountain counties west. All have been declared disaster areas. Supplies are still being delivered by helicopter, ATV, and mules. Power, water, roadways and bridges have been disrupted or destroyed. There has been an overwhelming response to bring water and food, Gasoline, kerosene and propane are in much shorter supply. The most recent response from the UMC district was for seasoned wood. Crossfire can supply wood but needs additional capacity, means of loading and unloading the collapsible pallet containers for wood, and a trailer to move multiple pallets at a time."
Purchased: log splitter, pallet trucks, trailer, tractor tires, camera system for security
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Below are grantees that were spurred by the flood impacts to begin a firewood distribution program. Many of these had already had a firewood bank concept on their radar and the flooding shot the concept up to higher priority to best meet the immediate needs of their community:
Barnardsville Alliance Firewood Bank, Barnardsville, NC, $15,000
The leader of this start-up has worked closely with ROAR and saw that the neighboring county would benefit from another distribution point. They've partnered with their local community center and are looking to tie in forest restoration efforts into their cause in the future.
Purchased: PPE, log splitter, sheds, chainsaws, stipend for administrative and coordination purposes
Images from Barnardsville Alliance Firewood Bank in late October 2024.
Applications in Process
Healing Heat Firewood Bank (Southern Legacy Wood Products, LLC), Cleveland, GA, $14,914
Leaders of this new program have helped distribute seasoned firewood to multiple distribution hubs in western North Carolina with the help of Fill the Needs. They are looking to keep the firewood distribution effort going into the future.
Images of donated seasoned firewood by Southern Legacy Wood Products that will arrive (or has arrived) at distribution hubs in western North Carolina.
Asheville Tool Library Firewood Project, Asheville, NC
Impact & Mission: “Our county is among some of the hardest hit counties in WNC from Hurricane Helene so at this moment there is a huge upswell of folks who both need access to wood processing tools, as well as have a deep desire to plug into the community to support one another in survival. Folks are shaken and they are searching for meaning through service. In our area, over 40% of our trees have been damaged & downed. We want to be a resource for folks to be able to borrow the tools needed to process firewood and teach them how they can make micro firewood banks for their neighbors and propagate the idea of micro wood banks.”
Mutual Aid In Action
Despite the devastation that these communities have faced, the power of mutual aid, with firewood banks being only one example, has been evident at every turn in the recovery efforts. Many of our firewood bank grantees in western NC and eastern TN that are not listed here have helped coordinate multi-county efforts to aid in recovery for the most impacted communities outside of their usual service areas. While AGH is always amazed at the work firewood distribution programs do across the country, this has certainly been an incredible time to see firewood distribution programs respond and coordinate to nurture more resilient communities in the wake of a natural disaster.
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