The building in the photo was my wife's restaurant, Smoky Park Supper Club. The swirling brown all around it is the swollen French Broad River, which flooded the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The trees you see in the middle of the photo indicates where the riverbank used to be.
Smoky Park was built of recycled shipping containers up on a platform that is over 15 feet above the flood plane. The architect who designed it said flood waters would not breech the steps. If you zoom in, you can see the water line goes up almost to the roof.
Many people with the means and resources to do so have evacuated the city. That means the most vulnerable folks remain - historically under-resourced low- and middle-income communities, migrants, seniors, and families caring for sick and disabled relatives. They cannot afford to escape and/or do not have the support or transportation they need to safely leave.
Many have also stayed to help serve and support those communities. Disaster response, from the government, FEMA, nonprofits, and grassroots community groups has been amazing. Helpers are on the ground, but the scale of the need is unfathomable. The need for aid is not going away any time soon.
In addition to the damage you may have seen on the news, Asheville is reeling from the destruction of our municipal water system. 80% of the city's neighborhoods do not have access to running water and may not for weeks. Businesses are shuttered across our city at a time when we are normally gearing up for our most busy travel season. In a town that relies on tourism to employ many of our workers, this is going to further devastate our economy - and low-income service workers will be the hardest hit.
My wife, michelle bailey, and I are safe and our home was spared. A heartbreaking number of our friends, neighbors, and fellow community members across Western North Carolina and neighboring states across the southeast cannot say the same. Bailey and I have chosen to stay here and help others as much as possible. She coordinated her own aid effort and we, along with a team of volunteers have cooked and served hot meals to thousands.
I am lucky enough to work for a firm like Veris, which has been incredibly supportive to me and our community. I am more committed to our work than ever before.
Just a little over a week before the storm rolled in, Veris published our new report, A Framework for Investing in a Just Transition. I am seeing first-hand evidence of the critical need for climate solutions that are designed for justice and equity. My message to everyone in the impact sector that the work we are doing is crucial. We must speed up the pace. We are not prepared for the climate disasters of today, much less the ones coming tomorrow.
#climatejustice #justtransition #impactinvesting
