As Asheville, North Carolina residents continue to struggle following the brutal aftermath of Helene, which hit Florida’s Big Bend region last week as a Category 4 Hurricane, Chef José Andrés has shared on X, formerly Twitter, that he’s going to be doing his part to contribute aid.
“Quick report on my way to [Asheville] to join @WCKitchen teams, from a @WaffleHouse in Abingdon” he wrote, referring to World Central Kitchen, the food relief nonprofit Andrés founded in 2010. “Picking sandwiches for any hungry first responder I may find [on] the way!” Andrés continued, saying he was also “"proud of the teams responding in many states from Florida to North Carolina plus our response in Acapulco."
As Salon reported over the weekend, Helene’s devastation is far-reaching, with heavy damage done to North Carolina, particularly the western parts of the state, such as Asheville. The city is reportedly only accessible by air at the moment. According to Blue Ridge Public Radio, which shared a press release from the city, “nearly 100,000 Asheville residents may not have access to water for weeks.”
In total, the storm has left over 100 dead — with at least 42 are dead in North Carolina alone. As Salon’s Marin Scotten noted, supplies have been slow to reach those in need in the area due to “mudslides and flooding blocking interstate highways."
