On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene, a category-4 storm, slammed into the Big Bend area of Florida. Before dissipating on September 29, the storm cut a massive swath of destruction through several states in the southeastern United States. The devastation was perhaps the worst in the Appalachian Mountain areas of western North Carolina. This region had experienced significant rainfall in the days before Helene arrived, magnifying the impact of Helene’s massive rainfall. The scope and depth of the damage have been described using terms such as “biblical,” or “apocalyptic.” Some mountain communities have been described as “gone” or “wiped off the map.” The governor of Georgia likened the destruction in his state to a 250-mile-wide tornado running the length of the state. There can be no doubt that the devastation is both widespread and profound. We examine the event by looking at state and civil society responses.
The hurricane has spawned quite a few conspiracy theories, even suggesting that the storm was man-made for specific evil purposes. It has raised questions about the response of the government to the disaster. Why has FEMA “taken so long” to assist? Why did it take a week after the event for active duty military to receive orders to begin relief operations? How could it be that private actors have been able to begin relief activities seemingly much faster than federal assets, like FEMA? These questions center around what is best handled by the state (government), what is best handled by civil society (private actors), and what level of the government is best suited to perform certain tasks.
State versus Civil Society
We are going to look at Hurricane Helene in the context of how the state and civil society react. When we speak of the state, we are referring to the institutions of government (local, state, or national), at any level. Civil society, on the other hand, refers to all the organizations and associations created outside the government.
State Responders
A variety of state entities have responded to the problems from Hurricane Helene.
Local
Local government responders include the obvious municipal and county police and fire departments. County first responders (sheriff departments and fire services) provide another group. Perhaps not as obvious, local government responders could include public works employees and would include a command structure under a mayor or similar government officer. Mutual aid agreements among local police and fire departments can bring in additional resources from nearby communities if they are not overwhelmed themselves.
State
At the state level, responders include state police and fire officials. They also include state emergency managers and transportation crews, with a chain of command up to the state’s governor. Potentially the largest response force a state might bring to bear is mobilization of the state National Guard and Air National Guard.
National
At the national level, disaster response is typically managed by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). In severe cases, such as Hurricane Helene, active-duty military personnel may be deployed to assist with relief efforts. In addition to directly responding resources, FEMA helps to coordinate resources such as search and rescue teams from around the country. Agencies like the Small Business Administration may also provide emergency recovery loans.
Civil Society Responders
When we think of responders outside of government, the American Red Cross is probably the first that comes to mind. There are, however, many other types of non-government responders.
Ad Hoc Responses
The first response to any emergency is typically by the people who are present at the scene. For example, immediately after the Boston Marathon bombing, the first people to search for and offer aid to victims were other spectators. Initially unorganized, spontaneous responses then often develop into gradually more organized and larger-scale efforts. These spontaneous bystander efforts may continue to develop unless and until professional responders arrive at the scene. Even with the arrival of professionals, ad hoc groups may continue to operate, assisting a larger operation.
Religious Organizations
Religious organizations frequently are involved in relief efforts after a disaster. These organizations range from local congregations to large-scale faith-based relief efforts. Religious and church-affiliated organizations assisting after Hurricane Helene include numerous local congregations gathering and distributing supplies and feeding or sheltering hurricane victims. Larger scale religious organizations include at least Samaritan’s Purse, based in the disaster zone, Catholic Charities, Latter-day Saints Charities, a variety of Baptist humanitarian missions, and undoubtedly many others. Given the hierarchical organization of Catholics and Latter-day Saints, their associated humanitarian relief efforts can build off of an existing organizational structure to gather information and coordinate relief efforts.
Business Organizations
Local businesses often donate supplies, tools, or services. Alternatively, they may donate space for other organizations to use for their operations. Large business responses include disaster relief through the provision of supplies through corporations such as Home Depot and Walmart. Elon Musk’s Starlink also provided satellite internet equipment and service to help rebuild communication into the North Carolina mountains.
Volunteer Relief Organizations
The Cajun Navy was formed as an ad hoc group of boat owners who assisted in search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They have grown into an ongoing organization providing disaster relief. Veterans Corps is a volunteer relief organization made up of retired military and first responders. Save Our Allies began as a private effort to save Afghans who had assisted the American military following the U. S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. While primarily devoted to getting Americans and American allies out of war-torn areas to safety, the organization has been conducting relief efforts in North Carolina. Many other private organizations have also responded, more than we could possibly name here.
Other Private Organizations
In outlining private relief efforts, we can only name a sampling, and we are undoubtedly missing more than we are including. We do want to mention organizations like the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, providing care for pets; various farmer organizations sending in food and other supplies for livestock; individuals and groups of private helicopter owners flying supplies to inaccessible areas; etc. Utility companies around the country also participate in mutual aid agreements, agreeing to send resources to help each other restore power in disaster situations.
Hurricane Helene Response
FEMA reports that prior to the hurricane making landfall, supplies and material were pre-positioned to facilitate a rapid response after the hurricane was ashore. Disaster declarations were prepared in advance to facilitate rapid federal responses.
Focusing on the mountain communities, including Asheville, in western North Carolina, National Guard troops were quickly deployed, with tons of supplies being flown into the Asheville airport within a couple days of the storm. Survivors in some mountain communities set about clearing and rebuilding roads (as dirt roads, but roads, nonetheless) using whatever equipment they could marshall.
Survivor Observations
It will be quite some time before we can fully analyze how well the response to Hurricane Helene went for the various impacted communities. Such an analysis should have the perspective to better evaluate the response than we can currently. We are, however, interested in survivor reactions to the disaster response.
Many survivors who could do so took to social media. Others were interviewed within a few days by various news organizations. Some common themes emerged from those in western North Carolina.
Immediate Responses
It was expressed that FEMA was not present. Overall, survivors were exceptionally critical of the federal response. It is natural that the emotional trauma of the situation and the severity of the loss would lead to dissatisfaction with help coming in. The disappointment with disaster response did not apply evenly to all responders, though.
Approval and gratitude were generally expressed for a few groups. Neighbors were praised for helping each other and marshaling resources to clear and rebuild roads. Local police and firefighters were praised for their efforts to help the community. Appalachian culture of relatively close-knit communities “having each other’s backs” undoubtedly contributed to community response and impressions of that response.
State response was criticized as being slow, though better than federal responses. While the North Carolina National Guard was almost immediately airlifting supplies into Asheville, the response seemed largely limited to that city. People living in mountain communities, however, felt neglected.
Survivor Responses A Week In
As more of the volunteer organizations we outlined above were able to ramp up their efforts, gratitude and support for those efforts was expressed. Organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, based in North Carolina, were able to quickly start getting resources out, and Samaritan’s Purse, in particular, was praised by local community members. Starlink very quickly began deploying satellite internet service, allowing beginning to put communications networks back together. As National Guard activity became more visible, they were also praised but concerns were voiced about the response being too small.
A week in, FEMA and some other government responders remained the target of many criticisms. Stories, denied by FEMA, spread of confiscations of supplies and blocking volunteer relief efforts. In one case, a local assistant fire chief (since relieved of duty) threatened to arrest a volunteer helicopter pilot bringing people off the mountains if he didn’t stop.
About a week after the disaster, active duty military personnel who were allocated days earlier began relief missions. The 82nd Airborne Division is located in North Carolina and was deployed to assist. Few organizations would be better equipped to mount large-scale operations from the air to move people and supplies. Dissatisfaction with FEMA led some people to call for the military to take command of the relief effort. On the other hand, many people continued to ask, where is the military?
Tentative Lessons
As we discuss tentative lessons, we acknowledge a couple of points. First, based on some of the survivor observations, it seems likely that there have been some significant leadership shortcomings. Second, regardless of leadership missteps, we are focused on systemic issues, and discussing those is not to be seen as criticism of any of the rank-and-file employees or members of any of the responding organizations.
Governor DeSantis, Florida, said shortly after the hurricane that he did not view FEMA as necessarily critical for immediate response like search and rescue and housing. He said that, instead, he largely viewed FEMA as a checkbook. Florida successfully marshaled resources, including state agencies, utility companies operating under mutual aid agreements, and various private organizations. Florida was rapid enough in search and rescue operations that within a couple of days of the hurricane, some Florida National Guard resources were sent to North Carolina.
FEMA certainly has a role in bringing in certain resources, including urban search and rescue teams from around the country. They also have a role in providing some emergency resources to disaster survivors, such as the $750 immediate needs grants and other assistance.
Private and local organizations seemed faster to respond and often with a deeper understanding of community needs than federal resources. Federal organizations, like FEMA, seemed slower to respond, often tied up in red tape. State and civil society comparisons here suggest that civil society responses were recognized as faster and more effective.
Local versus non-local Responders
Many elements of a “typical” FEMA response, such as emergency housing trailers, work well in urban areas with usable roads. Those elements seem to be of little value in mountain communities not readily accessible by road. A large bureaucratic organization runs a significant risk of mismatching resources with specific local needs. This seems to be an issue here, given the difference in community reactions between the mountains of North Carolina and, for instance, Georgia.
If local organizations can be more responsive to local needs, control should be maintained at the local level. As Governor DeSantis suggested, perhaps FEMA should be seen primarily as a checkbook, and perhaps a coordinator for prepositioning supplies (for events, like hurricanes, that have advanced warning). They may not fit as well as a boots-on-the-ground response organization. As we consider larger-scale larger scale or further away from the incident, the role perhaps should shift to logistical support, including manpower to deploy under local control. This would remove FEMA from the command structure in disaster response and change its role to one of support.
Importance of Local Control
States have manpower resources through the National Guard. These resources are ready-made teams with established chains of command and capabilities for logistical support. In extreme situations overwhelming state National Guard needs, active duty military provides a logical escalation.
Even large-scale events like Hurricane Helene may not warrant a unified command structure beyond the state level. Instead, each state would have control of response within their state.
Theoretically, FEMA works with state and local agencies with states primarily in charge of the responses. That role within the response should be strictly maintained. Each state has its own emergency management agency. It makes sense for states to budget for disaster response. It also makes sense for federal budgeting for catastrophic events. Control of the response seems best preserved at state, or even local, level.
Lessons for Government Generally
A measure of how free a society is the power balance between state and civil society. Free societies are driven by civil society, not by government. If we seek freedom, we should seek to maximize how many problems are handled by civil society.
As disaster response suggests, local and non-government organizations often have a better understanding of local needs. They also often can be more responsive, in part because smaller organizations tend to be more agile, with less bureaucratic overhead.
If decentralization of managing problems like disaster response might improve effectiveness, we might want to pursue the same for other problem areas, such as poverty, where the response has become increasingly centralized and arguably less responsive and less effective.
Events like Hurricane Helene prove that Americans are willing and able to respond when fellow Americans are in need. This cannot happen when the actions of civil society are supplanted by government action. We believe that Americans will rise to the occasion if given the chance. Indeed, we believe this is part of the Spirit of the Republic we seek to preserve and strengthen.