Standing Strong Together: Hope, Community and Storm Safety
Connections across generations creates hope and builds community. This can be heartwarming and life-saving, especially during a natural disaster. Read about how a UNC Asheville student was inspired to create these new resources to support health and safety during emergencies.
(Photo - Sign at a bridge across the French Broad River, my former way to work.)
Last August, I met with students in a Mass Communication Senior Seminar here at UNC Asheville to invite them to partner for new communication ideas to reduce the risk of falls in NC. Much to my delight, several students were interested. One student had unfortunately lost his grandmother a few weeks before due to a fall and had personal experience with this topic.
Then, Hurricane Helene hit Western NC on September 27, 2024. Classes and lives were put on hold due to Helene’s destruction. Once the semester restarted, I was encouraged that two of these students were still committed to finishing this project, and some of the planned resources were then transformed by lived experience. It’s hard to imagine all that happens during a natural disaster and each person’s experience is different. Yet, focusing on hope and community-building between neighbors of all ages can truly be inspiring and life-saving.
Tara Lambert, UNC Asheville December 2024 Graduate, shared these experiences that inspired her during the storm: “I created these resources after witnessing the challenges Hurricane Helene brought to Western North Carolina. Helping my older neighbors during the storm highlighted the need for clear, accessible information to keep them safe and prepared. My goal is to provide resources like these to empower older adults, helping them feel confident and ready to navigate both routine and unexpected situations.”
Post-Storm Safety Tips (and good all the time tips)
Managing medications before, during and after an emergency.
The intergenerational community support in Western North Carolina during Hurricane Helene was amazing. I experienced it directly after the disaster with friends and neighbors and also in working with these students. It makes my heart smile to see these students cultivating hope and community by learning about how to prevent falls and creating tools that will help to prevent falls and save lives, not only during “normal” times, but also during emergency situations. Just as Tara supported her older neighbors and provided hope and community to know that someone is checking on them, this project also gives me hope in the next generation. Standing Strong together across generations makes us stronger and more connected as a community. Check out our November blog for another story of intergenerational connections during the storm.
With the California wildfires happening right now and while our region and others are still recovering from Helene, we wish all people health, safety, and community love and support. We hope that these resources will be helpful to someone in some way.
Please share these resources created by Tara with steps to help community members to be prepared on a daily basis, and also when faced with an emergency, like a natural disaster. As we have experienced directly here in Western NC, it does take a village, of all ages, to stay Standing Strong!
Here are some additional resources that may be helpful before, during and after an emergency/natural disaster:
NC Center for Health and Wellness: Helene Recovery Support: Trauma-informed Guide to Older Adult Wellness Calls and Checks.
APH Connect Center: Preparing for Disasters or Emergencies When Blind or Low Vision
Author: Ellen Bailey, NC Center for Health and Wellness, NC Falls Prevention Coalition