What Might Be: Grieve, Knit, and Reimagine
Roses blooming in the mud of the River Arts District in Asheville, NC on October 5, 2024. Posted by Gary Alan McCracken.
What Might Be
Hurricane Helene left a wake of destruction in the mountains of North Carolina, a place that we at Third Space Studio know and love. Our hearts have been both broken and enlarged as we've absorbed accounts from the news, photos on social media, and donation efforts coming alive here and across the country. While much has been lost, the stories of communities coming together in response have been inspiring.
The people of Appalachia are at the beginning of a long recovery and for those of us in unaffected parts of the state, we've had the privilege to think about what comes next - the kind of effects these disasters have in the short-term and how we might reimagine rebuilding in the future.
Grieve
A lot has been lost - people, homes, businesses, landscapes, ways of life, favorite places, daily habits, the artifacts of family and community history - swept away in a flash. Individuals, families, and communities need the space to acknowledge and grieve what has been lost. Even those of us who don’t live in the mountains of NC need space to let go of what was. What community spaces might we create for grief? If we don’t process our loss, we will have a hard time moving into the future.
Knit
New connections and relationships are being made in the midst of this disaster. Urban communities are reaching out to rural communities. Neighbors who didn't know each other are now in tight alliance as they share information, resources, meals, and support. Pop-up community groups are serving as important distribution points and sources of local realities and expertise for government agencies and statewide nonprofits. What would it look like to extend these connections beyond the immediate disaster response? Who else needs to be included?
Reimagine
Let’s use this opportunity to reimagine communities. How do we need to rebuild to minimize the impacts of future climate events? What do local utility systems need to look like so that we can rely more on renewables than fossil fuels? What will make our communities more walkable and bikeable? How do we want our constructed environment to intersect with our natural environment? What about affordable housing? What are the hopes and dreams of all who call this community home? The possibilities are endless and we don’t have to automatically reinstate old structures.
Moments of extreme disruption are opportunities to rethink and reset. We don’t have to return to what was, we can reimagine and recreate. What do the people of western NC want? How can those outside the region support new visions? How can we realign our relationships and resources to make new visions a reality? Once the mud has been cleared and this beloved community begins to heal, let's engage with the possibilities.
We’ve listed some links below of thought pieces and donation opportunities that have crossed our desks and caught our attention.
- Meredith
Additional resources
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/mutual-aid-and-disaster-justice-we-keep-us-safe
https://www.edusc.org/blog/the-emotional-lifecycle-of-a-disaster/
https://www.ncartsfoundation.org/donate-nc-disaster-relief
https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/donate/
https://cfwnc.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2286