Through Hell or High Water: A Night of Community and Hope for Hurricane Helene Relief

On December 2, 2024, students from Harvard Divinity School and Hebrew College came together for a fundraiser supporting Hurricane Helen relief efforts in Western North Carolina—bringing together art, storytelling, music, and dancing for a powerful night of community.

Outside the James Room, student volunteers greeted attendees with nametags and flyers detailing the event beneficiaries, which included Rural Organizing and Resilience, Southside Community Farm, BeLoved Asheville, and others. Guests were quickly invited to line up for plates of cornbread, pulled chicken and beef, and coleslaw, all donated by local chain Blue Ribbon Barbecue. Music from the HDS Jam Collective filled the room as students, staff, and guests from different theological and religious studies institutions met each other for the first time and shared warm end-of-semester greetings.

The event was organized by a group of Harvard Divinity School, Hebrew College, and Harvard Graduate School of Design students united by a common desire to support communities affected by Hurricane Helene. The September storm was the deadliest to strike the mainland United States since Hurricane Katrina, causing immense damage and flooding in Southern Appalachia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

One of the student organizers, Hannah Limov, a 3rd-year rabbinical student at Hebrew College, called Western North Carolina home for eight years.

“I fell in love with that region, the landscape, the wisdom of the earth, the people, and the culture,” they said. “But after Helene, I felt so alone. I didn’t know anyone else who was connected to the region.”

A friend recommended Limov reach out to their roommate, em corbiere bates, a 2nd-year MDiv student who was also struggling to process their grief and shock over the recent hurricane after living in North Carolina before coming to HDS. Over chicken and waffles, the two students shared memories of their time in Southern Appalachia, working on farms and connecting their spiritual paths to the land and people of the region.

“It was so healing to be with someone who understood what happened to our home,” said Limov. Although both felt drawn to travel to North Carolina to support post-hurricane cleanup, they decided instead to draw on local connections in the Northeast to show their support. They met weekly to plan the fundraiser, drawing in additional student volunteers and imagining an event that included “transformative joy,” as well as acknowledgement of grief, sorrow, and collective struggle.

“If we are to cultivate a sustainable and resilient response to the climate crisis, we have to have art, music, and dance,” said bates.

As the event took shape, organizers curated a silent auction featuring community-made art and craft items, from handmade leather bags to a watercolor painting of the HDS campus. Attendees bid on the items, with all proceeds going to the night’s beneficiaries. They also invited a representative from Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, to connect people with campaign work around environmental protections and preventing new fossil fuel investments. bates, who studies earth-based spiritual traditions and climate chaplaincy, knew it was essential to bring a climate crisis lens to the event. After living through a devastating flood caused by Tropical Storm Fred in 2021, they knew first-hand the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis on farming communities.

“I wanted the event to not just be a fundraiser, but also to raise awareness as to how the climate crisis touches all our lives—even if we haven’t experienced the feeling of, ‘I have one minute to get all my things out,’” they said.

Throughout the event, speakers described how flooding and hurricanes exacerbated by climate change had affected rural and farming communities, from Vermont to North Carolina. The line-up included writers, poets, community advocates, and educators, including HDS alum Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, MDiv ’10, who works as the executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality.

Grace Oedel, a farmer, activist, and rabbinical student from Vermont who serves as the executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, spoke about the power of community-building. “We’re getting better because we are practicing being in relationship with one another,” she said. Oedel described how neighboring farms were paying more attention to the weather patterns emerging from climate change and exchanging insights on how their farms might be affected.

“How do we look at what’s happening and stay resilient and hopeful?” she asked.

Several speakers also shared stories hitting close to home, describing the effect of Hurricane Helene on the lives of their family and friends.

In a particularly poignant moment, Drema Bowers, assistant director of student support at HDS, shared memories of her childhood in the region, picking blackberries with her mother and driving a tractor. “I am rooted in that land,” she said, “My family is rooted in that land.”

She recalled the impact of the hurricane on her family, including her 90-year-old father, who lives independently on her family’s farm with the support of weekly caregivers and food delivery. She said the family woke up to reports that the Nolichucky Dam—just seven miles from the family farm—was rumored to be on the verge of failure, prompting evacuations.

“‘Did the dam fail?’ is all I kept asking,” she said, “I was afraid to call Daddy.” When she finally got in touch with someone from the town, she was relieved to discover the 114-year-old dam miraculously held, holding more than double the water of Niagra Falls.

“It’s my dad and people like him who this fundraiser is helping,” she said.

The formal program ended with a performance of “Hell or Highwater,” a song by Kate Hurley Krause, dedicated to the community of Asheville, North Carolina. Event organizers announced they had raised over $5,600 in just one evening, which rose to over $6,500 in subsequent days.

As attendees shared this good news, organizers began their final task: clearing the floor for a lively contra dance to conclude the night. Led by Kevin Donohue, Dave Langford, and Max Newman, attendees swung their partners, do-si-doed, and alleman-ed around the James Room. Staff, students, and guests surrounded them, taking photos and laughing in disbelief and joy.

Reflecting on the event, Dimov shared the impact it had on the community of those who love and care about the region.

“This started from a place of feeling hopeless and helpless and alone,” they said, “And ended in a place of feeling empowered, not alone, and that we did something to make a difference.”

—Shir Lovett-Graff, MTS ’24, HDS Communications