Support Earthaven's Recovery from Hurricane Helene

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” Helen Keller

The center of the Hurricane Helene passed directly over Earthaven Ecovillage, our little mountain village. It was forecasted for us to get somewhere between 8 to 10 inches between Wednesday and Friday. We actually got somewhere around 22 inches in 2 1/2 days.

The good news is no one was injured and we are all fed and housed.

The bad news is the creeks swelled and overflowed so much that they took out many of our roads and destroyed or severely compromised all three of our bridges. Additional impacts include damage to our water systems, off grid power systems, agriculture infrastructure, and severe damage to one home, and modest damage to several others. The ground became so saturated that huge trees fell, many of which are blocking the roads, both at Earthaven and in the region. Trees and landslides on the roads outside of the community are preventing access and egress.

As we do, we have come together to organize and mobilize efforts towards restoring access, and making sure everyone continues to have what they need to maintain health and safety.

As of Friday night, September 27, no one at Earthaven had Internet nor cell phone service nor the ability to leave the valley. Major efforts were made with chainsaws, tractors and lots of helping hands to clear trees from the roads to gain more access and mobility, and will continue today and for a while to restore and repair things to a semblance of functionality.

We send our love and compassion to all those experiencing similar difficulty, challenge, and loss right now. May everyone have the support they need to navigate these wild and unprecedented times. The storm is the biggest storm this land has seen in Earthaven’s 30-year lifetime.

We need funds to restore basic access (roads, bridges, and utility systems, agriculture repairs) to and within our valley village. The infrastructure damage is unprecedented and will take months of work to repair. During this time a primary source of community income -- our in person workshops and retreats -- must be canceled. We humbly ask for your support.

If you would like to stay updated, check our facebook and sign up for our newsletter. If you prefer to donate through other means, you can do so on our website. Supportrs have asked if they can donate by mail, but it could be some time before mail delivery resumes.

Our deep, abiding gratitude goes out to everyone who has donated; to all who are working to provide assistance to those impacted by this extreme climate event; and to those working on climate change solutions.

Please share this GoFundMe to help Earthaven rebuild. Thank you!