In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the North Carolina mountains, the plethora of anecdotal reports from family and friends are full of gratitude for an abundance of both public and private assistance.

My cousin Macon Thoma, a healthcare worker living in the heavily damaged town of Black Mountain, reported on Facebook in the week after the storm that help on her post-storm commute to work is so great that “sometimes it makes me cry.”

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