'Embedded into a community': CORE aids Spanish-speaking families after Hurricane Helene

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SWANNANOA, N.C. — Nestled in the heart
of Swannanoa, the Alan Campos mobile home park attempts to recover from
the destruction left by Hurricane Helene in September. 

Pallets of water line the park’s dirt
road entrance, reading Spanish phrases such as “No toma, para baño”
(“Don’t drink, for bathroom”) and “Agua para cocinar” (“Cooking water”).
Further into the community—between half-constructed mobile homes—neon
green flags mark the worksite of the Community Organized Relief Effort,
known as CORE.

CORE is a global humanitarian
organization that assists underserved communities after experiencing
disaster. It was originally formed after the 2010 Haiti earthquake but
has expanded to five continents since, helping with a variety of natural
disasters and other needs as areas experience crises.

CORE searches for communities that get
hit the hardest by disasters and sends volunteers there to help. After
Helene hit, CORE sent groups to Valdosta, Georgia; Asheville, North
Carolina, and Hendersonville, North Carolina.

“We had someone who lived in North
Carolina who was a staff member who showcased the need for Asheville
getting help,” said Kirsty Greeno, a CORE staff member. “That’s how we
kind of ended up here.”

Although CORE uses out-of-state staff
members such as Greeno, who is based in Vermont, the majority are local
to the area being assisted.

“A lot of these other organizations
will bring in volunteers from all over the country and all over the
world, which is really amazing,” Greeno said. “But, CORE utilizes what
we have. It’s more of a helping the community help themselves type of
thing.”

Rather than gutting houses, sanitizing
and moving on in several days, CORE embeds itself into the community.
Staff members are able to build relationships with members of the
community while they help rebuild.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to remember
every single homeowner, whereas this way, I’m going to remember these
guys for a long, long time,” Greeno said. “And I think it’s good for
them too because they see that people show up and they’re not going to
leave.”

Since Helene hit in late September, CORE has helped more than 60,000
people in North Carolina and Georgia, tarped 31 homes and distributed
230,000 relief items, including food, water and hygiene kits. Its annual
Emergency Response Fund allows this response to be given to worldwide disasters, including Helene. 

Becoming ingrained in the Alan Campos
community and witnessing people begin to feel a new normal has shown
Greeno how powerful her work can be. Being able to develop true
relationships with the residents of the area changed the way she
approaches disaster relief, she said.

“Probably my new favorite way to do a
disaster is to get in there, embedded into a community and see it
through,” Greeno said. “I’ve become good friends with some of the
homeowners, like we all laugh and we joke around, and it adds a very
personal touch to the work we’re doing.”

In the three weeks since Greeno first
got to Swannanoa, she’s seen incredible amounts of progress, she said.
While they’re still hard at work rebuilding, CORE has begun getting the
residents campers and new places to live—offering a sliver of hope to
members of the community.

“I see people laugh a lot more now than when I first got here,” Greeno said.

However, there’s always more to be done.

Greeno has only been with CORE for
about six weeks, but has experienced 14 disasters with groups such as
AmeriCorps, Triple C and All Hands and Hearts. She’s worked on
hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and wildfires since 2017.

“My first one was Hurricane Harvey.
I’ve been on Ida. I went to the Vermont floods,” Greeno said. “I was in
Francine before Helene hit. Ian, I was there.”

Working with a variety of disasters
has allowed Greeno to meet many different people and learn their
stories. The relationships she built everywhere she went showed her the
true impact of the work she’s done, she said.

“At the start of Helene, we were
tarping in Valdosta, Georgia, and I got a text from a homeowner and he
said, ‘It rained all day yesterday, and not a single drop went in my
house,’” Greeno said. “It was the first time since Helene had hit and
had been two weeks of just continuous rain, and it was the first time
his house had stayed dry.”

Greeno’s work in disaster relief has
taught her that even just showing up can make a difference in someone’s
life. She’s filled with an immense desire to help others, but that’s not
something everyone in her life understands.

“My boss recently fired me for coming down, because he said, ‘I don’t understand why you want to help people,’” Greeno said.

Despite this negative pushback, Greeno
doesn’t let it faze her. She continues to help and encourages others to
do the same—long past the first few weeks and months after a disaster.
Disasters last years, but are often forgotten down the line, she said.

“Whenever I see someone that needs
help, all I want to do is help them,” Greeno said. “And I think being
part of this disaster kind of stuff—like disaster relief—has just made
me realize how much help is needed and how long people’s lives can be
changed from something as simple as this.”

Antonio Garcia, the CORE program
manager for the reconstruction of 25 homes in Alan Campos, shared a
similar sentiment to Greeno. He said his work of gutting homes,
installing insulation and getting permits from Buncombe County has been
hard, but rewarding, especially seeing how grateful members of the
community are for his help.

“When we got here with volunteers, we
started helping them out and motivating them to use our assistance,”
Garcia said. “And we could see it in their faces, you know, the hope
they could feel because we were helping them and assisting them.”

When CORE and Garcia arrived to Alan
Campos, only one family had begun gutting their home and preparing to
rebuild, Garcia said. Everyone else was in shock, unsure of where to
start.

Furthermore, Alan Campos is a largely
Spanish-speaking community. Where Garcia works has 22 homes, with only
two English-speaking families. This caused Alan Campos to become
disproportionately affected by Helene, as many families were unable to
reach out for help.

Garcia’s full-time job is with the
Catholic Church, but came on board with CORE as the manager of the Alan
Campos project, seeing the need the community had. Although it’s his
first time doing disaster relief, he’s glad he chose it.

“I love it,” Garcia said. “It’s about assisting the community in their moments of need. And it’s a great feeling, really.”

Garcia said that families in the Alan
Campos community continuously express their thanks to him and other
members of CORE. He’s seen it since CORE first arrived in Swannanoa, and
he still sees it two weeks later.

“That happens very often, you know,”
Garcia said. “The gratitude that people feel in their hearts and they
express it to you. They let you know how grateful they are. It’s the
best thing. It’s so rewarding to see that in people’s lives, and when
they express it to you, it’s fulfilling.”

Maria Salgado, a resident of the Alan
Campos community, lost her home in the Helene flooding, after living in
Swannanoa for nearly 19 years. Although she speaks little English, she
articulated her appreciation.

“They helped us a lot, to everyone in
this community,” Salgado said. “We’re very, very grateful to them, and
with all the volunteers that have come to help as well.”

Salgado said that even though Alan
Campos has a lot of residents, they don’t always get the help they need.
CORE’s work and assistance have been significant for her family.

“We have no words or a way to pay them
back,” Salgado said. “Little by little, because of the help, our homes
are going to be rebuilt.”

Areas across Swannanoa and Western
North Carolina continue rebuilding their homes, communities and lives
following Helene’s destruction in September.

With CORE’s help, Alan Campos attempts
to find a new normal—though it’s likely to be months or years down the
line. Greeno’s collective hope is that people continue providing,
volunteering and don’t forget. 

“The work is still going on,” Greeno
said. “We still have months of work ahead of us. So, even though it’s
fading from news headlines, it’s still very much an active part of our
days.”

Kellie Finch is a University of North Carolina senior from Clayton, NC, majoring in Journalism and English, with a minor in Music. She has experience in writing, editing and graphics. Kellie hopes to pursue a career in opinion or feature writing.

Caroline Routh is a University of North Carolina senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, majoring in Media and Journalism and Psychology, with a minor in History. She has experience in broadcast, marketing, social media and public relations. Caroline hopes to enter a career in the sports media realm upon graduating this spring.