Nestled in the heart of Swannanoa, the Alan Campos mobile home park attempts to recover from the destruction left by Hurricane Helene in September.
Pallets of water line the park鈥檚 dirt road entrance, reading Spanish phrases such as 鈥淣o toma, para ba帽o鈥� (鈥淒on鈥檛 drink, for bathroom鈥�) and 鈥淎gua para cocinar鈥� (鈥淐ooking water鈥�). Further into the community鈥攂etween half-constructed mobile homes鈥攏eon green flags mark the worksite of the Community Organized Relief Effort, known as CORE.
CORE is a global humanitarian organization that assists underserved communities after experiencing disaster. It was originally formed after the 2010 Haiti earthquake but has expanded to five continents since, helping with a variety of natural disasters and other needs as areas experience crises.
CORE searches for communities that get hit the hardest by disasters and sends volunteers there to help. After Helene hit, CORE sent groups to Valdosta, Georgia; Asheville, North Carolina, and Hendersonville, North Carolina.
鈥淲e had someone who lived in North Carolina who was a staff member who showcased the need for Asheville getting help,鈥� said Kirsty Greeno, a CORE staff member. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how we kind of ended up here.鈥�
Although CORE uses out-of-state staff members such as Greeno, who is based in Vermont, the majority are local to the area being assisted.
鈥淎 lot of these other organizations will bring in volunteers from all over the country and all over the world, which is really amazing,鈥� Greeno said. 鈥淏ut, CORE utilizes what we have. It鈥檚 more of a helping the community help themselves type of thing.鈥�
Rather than gutting houses, sanitizing and moving on in several days, CORE embeds itself into the community. Staff members are able to build relationships with members of the community while they help rebuild.
鈥淪ometimes, it鈥檚 hard to remember every single homeowner, whereas this way, I鈥檓 going to remember these guys for a long, long time,鈥� Greeno said. 鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 good for them too because they see that people show up and they鈥檙e not going to leave.鈥�
Since Helene hit in late September, CORE has helped more than people in North Carolina and Georgia, tarped 31 homes and distributed 230,000 relief items, including food, water and hygiene kits. Its annual allows this response to be given to worldwide disasters, including Helene.
Becoming ingrained in the Alan Campos community and witnessing people begin to feel a new normal has shown Greeno how powerful her work can be. Being able to develop true relationships with the residents of the area changed the way she approaches disaster relief, she said.
鈥淧robably my new favorite way to do a disaster is to get in there, embedded into a community and see it through,鈥� Greeno said. 鈥淚鈥檝e become good friends with some of the homeowners, like we all laugh and we joke around, and it adds a very personal touch to the work we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
In the three weeks since Greeno first got to Swannanoa, she鈥檚 seen incredible amounts of progress, she said. While they鈥檙e still hard at work rebuilding, CORE has begun getting the residents campers and new places to live鈥攐ffering a sliver of hope to members of the community.
鈥淚 see people laugh a lot more now than when I first got here,鈥� Greeno said.
However, there鈥檚 always more to be done.
Greeno has only been with CORE for about six weeks, but has experienced 14 disasters with groups such as AmeriCorps, Triple C and All Hands and Hearts. She鈥檚 worked on hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and wildfires since 2017.
鈥淢y first one was Hurricane Harvey. I鈥檝e been on Ida. I went to the Vermont floods,鈥� Greeno said. 鈥淚 was in Francine before Helene hit. Ian, I was there.鈥�
Working with a variety of disasters has allowed Greeno to meet many different people and learn their stories. The relationships she built everywhere she went showed her the true impact of the work she鈥檚 done, she said.
鈥淎t the start of Helene, we were tarping in Valdosta, Georgia, and I got a text from a homeowner and he said, 鈥業t rained all day yesterday, and not a single drop went in my house,鈥欌�� Greeno said. 鈥淚t was the first time since Helene had hit and had been two weeks of just continuous rain, and it was the first time his house had stayed dry.鈥�
Greeno鈥檚 work in disaster relief has taught her that even just showing up can make a difference in someone鈥檚 life. She鈥檚 filled with an immense desire to help others, but that鈥檚 not something everyone in her life understands.
鈥淢y boss recently fired me for coming down, because he said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 understand why you want to help people,鈥欌�� Greeno said.
Despite this negative pushback, Greeno doesn鈥檛 let it faze her. She continues to help and encourages others to do the same鈥攍ong past the first few weeks and months after a disaster. Disasters last years, but are often forgotten down the line, she said.
鈥淲henever I see someone that needs help, all I want to do is help them,鈥� Greeno said. 鈥淎nd I think being part of this disaster kind of stuff鈥攍ike disaster relief鈥攈as just made me realize how much help is needed and how long people鈥檚 lives can be changed from something as simple as this.鈥�
Antonio Garcia, the CORE program manager for the reconstruction of 25 homes in Alan Campos, shared a similar sentiment to Greeno. He said his work of gutting homes, installing insulation and getting permits from Buncombe County has been hard, but rewarding, especially seeing how grateful members of the community are for his help.
鈥淲hen we got here with volunteers, we started helping them out and motivating them to use our assistance,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淎nd we could see it in their faces, you know, the hope they could feel because we were helping them and assisting them.鈥�
When CORE and Garcia arrived to Alan Campos, only one family had begun gutting their home and preparing to rebuild, Garcia said. Everyone else was in shock, unsure of where to start.
Furthermore, Alan Campos is a largely Spanish-speaking community. Where Garcia works has 22 homes, with only two English-speaking families. This caused Alan Campos to become disproportionately affected by Helene, as many families were unable to reach out for help.
Garcia鈥檚 full-time job is with the Catholic Church, but came on board with CORE as the manager of the Alan Campos project, seeing the need the community had. Although it鈥檚 his first time doing disaster relief, he鈥檚 glad he chose it.
鈥淚 love it,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about assisting the community in their moments of need. And it鈥檚 a great feeling, really.鈥�
Garcia said that families in the Alan Campos community continuously express their thanks to him and other members of CORE. He鈥檚 seen it since CORE first arrived in Swannanoa, and he still sees it two weeks later.
鈥淭hat happens very often, you know,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淭he gratitude that people feel in their hearts and they express it to you. They let you know how grateful they are. It鈥檚 the best thing. It鈥檚 so rewarding to see that in people鈥檚 lives, and when they express it to you, it鈥檚 fulfilling.鈥�
Maria Salgado, a resident of the Alan Campos community, lost her home in the Helene flooding, after living in Swannanoa for nearly 19 years. Although she speaks little English, she articulated her appreciation.
鈥淭hey helped us a lot, to everyone in this community,鈥� Salgado said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very, very grateful to them, and with all the volunteers that have come to help as well.鈥�
Salgado said that even though Alan Campos has a lot of residents, they don鈥檛 always get the help they need. CORE鈥檚 work and assistance have been significant for her family.
鈥淲e have no words or a way to pay them back,鈥� Salgado said. 鈥淟ittle by little, because of the help, our homes are going to be rebuilt.鈥�
Areas across Swannanoa and Western North Carolina continue rebuilding their homes, communities and lives following Helene鈥檚 destruction in September.
With CORE鈥檚 help, Alan Campos attempts to find a new normal鈥攖hough it鈥檚 likely to be months or years down the line. Greeno鈥檚 collective hope is that people continue providing, volunteering and don鈥檛 forget.
鈥淭he work is still going on,鈥� Greeno said. 鈥淲e still have months of work ahead of us. So, even though it鈥檚 fading from news headlines, it鈥檚 still very much an active part of our days.鈥�
was first published at the .
