Americares Response to Hurricane Melissa

Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, 2024, on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 4 storm, then swept through Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Over six days, Western North Carolina received 30 inches of rain, causing rivers to overflow, triggering landslides, washing out roads and flooding entire communities. From Indiana to Florida, more than 230 people died as a result of the storm.

Americares response teams were on the ground immediately, assessing health needs in the hardest-hit communities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Some of our key efforts in the first year included:

• 17 tons of medicine and relief supplies, including more than 5,000 doses of tetanus vaccine, to protect survivors cleaning up debris.
• Mobile clinic that partnered with community groups to provide direct care in 5 counties over 17 days.
• Installation of four water purification systems in Asheville, N.C., each able to provide 17,000 gallons of safe drinking water daily.
• $1 million in emergency funds to 35 clinics and community organizations across the region.
• Four truckloads of water to partners in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
• Mental health and psychosocial support for more than 500 people, including health workers who lived through the storm and now help other survivors.

Over a year after the devestating storm, our support continues as communities recover and rebuild.

Local health centers still need help, and lingering trauma affects many survivors. Americares recovery programs focus on building resilience among clinics serving low-income, uninsured and under-insured patients.

In response to the extensive emotional toll on communities devastated by Hurricane Helene, Americares is launching a new year-long mental health and psychosocial support initiative focused on supporting first responders, health workers, nonprofit staff and volunteers.

Americares Launches New Long-Term Mental Health Program for Frontline Responders Affected by Hurricane Helene

A team of Americares mental health specialists based out of Asheville, N.C., will provide free individual and group staff support sessions and tailored trainings in Psychological First Aid, stress management, coping techniques and more. The initiative will help individuals working in high-stress environments learn coping skills and build resilience. This non-clinical approach is designed to equip frontline workers and community volunteers with practical tools and sustainable practices to meet both current recovery needs and navigate future crises. At the same time, it helps organizations create internal systems to support staff in future emergencies.

Programming will launch first in the hardest-hit areas near Asheville and expand across North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Americares staff will also be available for remote mental health support for first responders in affected areas of Florida and Georgia. Priority will be given to underserved and marginalized communities.

One key activity Americares is providing is mental health training and psychosocial support sessions for staff, with one-on-one follow-ups if needed. Thirteen clinics in three states are participating.

“We felt seen when Americares reached out to see how they could offer support,” says Mountain Community Health Partnership Co-Interim Behavioral Director Tiffany English, who welcomes the training and support. “I do see our connection and participation with Americares as a means of promoting resiliency among staff and in our communities.”

Hannah is now a peer educator at Mountain Community Health Partnerships. She and her family received behavioral health therapy services from the clinic, and Hannah can now help others in her situation.

“To me, the mountains are home,” Hannah says. “Even though I don’t have a home right now, it’s still in the beauty of the mountains.”

Links:

• Americares Response to Hurricanes Helene + Milton: A Case Study