1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing with an urgent plea for immediate, organized aid to reach the isolated communities of Western North Carolina. While some central areas, like Asheville and Boone, are beginning to rebuild, the surrounding regions remain in a state of sheer devastation. The rugged terrain of WNC exacerbates this crisis. Without immediate national aid prepared for this terrain—military or otherwise—there will be more deaths. There are still hundreds missing. The isolation, and the sheer scale of the destruction make this a crisis unlike anything we’ve faced before. These communities cannot handle this alone. We need more boots on the ground, helicopters, supply drops, and organized rescue efforts in every corner of the region. The people of WNC are resilient, but this is beyond their ability to manage. In areas like Burnsville, Red Hill, Poplar, Toe, Mitchell - residents are facing unimaginable challenges. Roads have been washed away, power lines are down, and infrastructure has been obliterated. Landslides have buried entire areas. These are not just logistical hurdles; they are life-threatening barriers preventing aid from reaching the people who need it most. For many elderly, poor, and vulnerable residents, including those battling addiction or withdrawal, evacuation is not an option. They are trapped, and without urgent help, they may not survive. We are witnessing heartbreaking scenes daily. Volunteers are doing what they can to deliver supplies to these remote areas, but it’s not near enough. One nurse, who spent the day doing welfare checks in Burnsville on Oct 2, described doing med checks on foot and ATVs. She found a 90-year-old woman with stage 4 bone cancer—no pain meds, withdrawal symptoms, and nausea. Her daughter, with a severe bee allergy, had been stung and had no epinephrine. Her blind brother, a diabetic, had no insulin needles. It took hours to get them the help they needed, and they were in a ‘reachable’ area. The situation in these areas is dire, and the disorganization is costing lives. There are countless more stories of people missing, trapped, or already dead. One person shared accounts of people digging their neighbors out of mudslides, watching them be swept away by water, and seeing bodies that haven’t been recovered. In Swannanoa, Chimney Rock, Marshall—so many areas remain unreachable. We have no idea of the full extent of the devastation. The response so far has been inadequate. In these remote townships, local volunteers have taken it upon themselves to distribute aid on foot and with ATVs, but it’s woefully inadequate. The National Guard arrived in some areas but was unsure where to go, highlighting the desperate need for organized, large-scale coordination. The time to act is now. Please, allocate more resources, deploy the necessary personnel, and coordinate an organized, national response to reach the isolated and devastated areas of Western NC. Every moment of delay costs lives.