Help Martha Keep Her Head Above Water After Hurricane Helene

The good news is that our sister Martha Johnson is alive, and her dog Chica, too, and they are both doing pretty well, all things considered. But she has just been through the shocking and traumatic experience of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, where she lives in Black Mountain, just outside of Asheville. The massive flooding and wind damage have been described as biblical in nature, and the devastation and loss of life has been tragic for the whole region. When the hurricane came through a month ago, the Swannanoa River near Martha's home became a massive flood and roared under her house, damaged fences and outbuildings, and left a layer of toxic mud and muck on half of her property. At first, it was survival mode; there was no electricity, running water, or phone service. Martha said she relied heavily on all the camping skills she has learned in her life. The bridge on the only road in was washed out. But she does have great neighbors, and they banded together to help each other out. Now, a month later, assessing the damage and figuring out what it will take to recover is a whole new phase.

Martha is a working artist whose livelihood has depended on the lively art and cultural scene in the Asheville area. However, the local economy has been devastated, and who knows how long it will take to recover. While she is normally busy with art shows and galleries at this time of year, her focus is instead on dealing with repairs and cleanup and day-to-day survival needs.

We are asking Martha’s wide circle of friends and family to please consider contributing to her recovery costs. We’re all so grateful that her house wasn’t washed away, but the extensive damage on her property will be something she is dealing with for a long time. The lost income from her art business, Four Sisters Studio, will be hard to ever replace. Martha is well-connected in her community, and we know that if she does well, her generosity will help bring others up as well. Thank you for your support!

With love from Martha’s sisters,

Sarah, Rachel, and Chris Johnson

About this request for funding:

We four sisters grew up in Hiram, Ohio. Martha now lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina; Sarah lives in Gex, France; Rachel lives in Bolinas, California; and Chris lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

We are raising these funds for Martha for living expenses due to lost income; to have new insulation and siding installed on her house due to flood damage; to repair a damaged roof and the porches on her house; to rebuild fences and repair an outbuilding; and for massive clean-up and remediation of toxic mud and muck covering at least half of her property.