Two years ago, Hurricane Helene cut Western North Carolina off from power, water, and one another. Fire stations we kept running on temporary solar now have permanent microgrids. Donated equipment has reached more than 120 individuals and families, and many of the people we met in those first days are now our partners. Here's a look back at two years of renewable response and recovery, from the first solar generators in shelters to the resilience hubs powering communities today.

Late summer is the start of our busiest season. By the last week of August 2026, we received disaster support requests from communities reeling from fires in Washington and Nevada, floods in West Virginia, storms in Tennessee, and Hurricane Lala in Hawai’i. Read more about our work in response and resilience with clean energy.

We would like to introduce you to our newest board member, Sara Rossi. Sara is the Managing Director of the Health Resiliency Fund at Direct Relief.

In her work, she oversees initiatives and grant-making programs that strengthen health facilities’ resilience and sustainability in the face of disasters and a changing climate, domestically and around the world.