Help Tony Robles' Family Recover from Helene

I’m writing to you as Tony Robles’ girlfriend in Northern California and a member of the family. Tony has made significant contributions to the community for many decades, as a beloved poet and activist in San Francisco working with seniors and in particular Manilatown manongs. He is the author of four books of poetry and currently serves as board president for Manilatown Heritage Foundation. For the past five years, he has worked closely with the communities in his adopted town of Hendersonville in Western North Carolina.

Now it’s time for us to support Tony as he helps his mother Flo and stepfather Pete recover from Hurricane Helene—the deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Katrina. To date, 227 people in six states have died from Helene, with over half of the fatalities in Western North Carolina.

Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina in the early hours of September 27, 2024. There had been a very violent storm during the night. Tony was fine but had lost electricity, internet connection and water. Two days would pass before I heard from him again due to cell service outages. He said he hadn’t been able to reach his mother and stepfather, who live in rural Bat Cave, a mountain town adjacent to Chimney Rock—a town that has made national news for being completely destroyed.

On September 30, Tony’s mother Flo and stepfather Pete were rescued by an Army Black Hawk helicopter and airlifted to safety. The highway leading to their town and all the rural country roads had been washed out and damaged, so helicopter was the only way to evacuate. They boarded the helicopter with the clothes on their backs and medications. We’re grateful that they made it out alive, which was not the case for others in Bat Cave.

Given the widespread damage across Western North Carolina, it will be a year or more before highways 64 and 74 leading into Bat Cave and the rural roads will be repaired. Their home and cars are thankfully not damaged, but there will be no way to access them or return until the roads are fixed.

Tony’s mother and stepfather are seniors living on a fixed income. They have applied for FEMA support, but FEMA is understandably backlogged and inundated with requests so it will take some time for their application to be processed.

Thankfully they were able to receive temporary forbearance on their mortgage payments. Now they need to find housing and purchase furniture and household items.

At this time, we are asking for community support to help with the following:

• $8,000 in rental assistance to rent an apartment for at least one year in Hendersonville, NC

• $10,000 to purchase a used car for reliable transportation to doctor’s appointments

• $3,000 to purchase furniture (bed, kitchen table, sofa, chairs), clothing, kitchen supplies, and miscellaneous supplies

If you are in a position to help, we would be deeply grateful. If you can share this fundraiser widely, that would be helpful too!

Tony has been documenting the tragedy through poignant poems and interviews with locals. I will update this page with his poems, but here is one below to start with.

I would also like to gift a signed copy of my debut short story collection WILDFLOWERS to the first 25 donors who request it.

A Few Nights After Hurricane Helene by Tony Robles

I write this poem

By candlelight

2 flickers of

Flame in a dance

On the heated wax

Of a scented candle

Giving off a glow

Of amber

Just yesterday my mom and stepfather

Were airlifted from their home in the

mountains

A home of plants and lamps and

Rugs and lights and globes that held

The world in their living room

The house wasn't damaged

But most of the surrounding area

was

Roads, bridges trails

Discarded by a pillage of

Rainwater and wind

They can't go

Back, not now

But they recently

Celebrated their 54th

Wedding anniversary

Two flickering lights

Giving off love's flame

In spite of

hurricanes

wars

disasters

Their love is their

home

Giving off a glow

Allowing me just enough

Light to write the end

Of this poem with the simple

Words: Mom and Pete, I love

you