When the Hurricane Helene When the hurricane hit western North Carolina, countless families faced an additional barrier to the emergency: language. Some people received alerts only in English and relied on their children to translate. Others didn't know where the shelters were, where to get food, or how to ask for help.
That experience led the city of Hendersonville to recognize that it needed to strengthen the way it communicates with residents who have a limited English proficiency.
“Over the past few years, the city had taken some steps to improve access to the language, but the hurricane highlighted many shortcomings and challenges,” explained Allison Justus, Hendersonville’s Communications Director, in an interview with Enlace Latino NC .
“It made us understand that we needed more concrete plans and better tools to be able to communicate during emergencies,” he added.
However, the plan's objective goes beyond disaster response: it seeks to enable residents with limited English proficiency to participate in civic life. Hendersonville and to have equal access to the services offered by the city.
Gaps in access to language
The plan emerged after the city assessed how it was responding to the needs of residents with limited English proficiency.
The diagnosis concluded that there were no standardized procedures between departments for requesting interpretation servicesthat most staff did not receive training in language access and that the city had few bilingual employees.
It also identified that there were no mechanisms to record the languages of people using municipal services, which made it difficult to plan and allocate resources.
Related: Are we prepared for another natural disaster in Western North Carolina?
El Language Access Plan
On July 2nd, the Hendersonville City Council unanimously approved the city's first Language Access Plan, the result of a six-month process developed with the support of Building Integrated Communities program, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The policy seeks to guarantee residents' access to the municipal services Public information is now available in their preferred language, with Spanish as the priority language for implementation, although it includes mechanisms to serve people who speak other languages.
The strategy states that the city will offer free interpretation services, translate essential documents, train its employees to identify residents' language needs, and use contracted professional translation and interpretation services.
“One of the greatest strengths of this strategy is that all departments will receive training and have access to on-demand interpretation services in several languages.”
Allison Justus
In addition, it creates a committee in charge of overseeing implementation, evaluating compliance, and updating the plan every five years.
Implementation will begin with the creation of an internal team, training of municipal staff, and a campaign to inform residents about the availability of free language assistance.
Spanish will be the priority in the implementation of the plan
The data supporting the plan, based on the 2023 American Community SurveyThese figures show that nearly 7% of Hendersonville residents speak a language other than English, and that around 3% have limited English proficiency. Among residents with limited English proficiency, the largest group is Spanish speakers.
This need was also reflected in the city's internal assessment. One of the firefighters who participated in the survey to develop the plan noted that he uses Spanish in approximately 40% of his calls. He emphasized that being able to communicate directly with residents "saves time and lives," in addition to building trust and facilitating access to critical information during emergencies.
Although the number of Spanish-speaking residents does not reach the threshold recommended by the Department of Justice to require the systematic translation of documents, Hendersonville decided to make Spanish the priority language of the plan.
“We know we serve many more people than just those who live within the city limits. We have water system users, county workers, and visitors who use our services, so we believe the number of people who need assistance in another language is higher than what the census data reflects,” Justus explained.
Related: Buncombe implements Language Access Plan
Build trust
For Melissa Escobar, executive director of True RidgeThe city's allied community organization, which helped develop the plan, said the approval represents an important step after years of identifying the barriers faced by residents with limited English proficiency.
“I’ve lived in this community for 27 years. Hendersonville is my home, and I raised my family here. I’m excited to see this process because I know the needs of our community. Knowing that this will continue to improve over time and that there will be more direct communication is a source of pride,” she said in an interview with Enlace Latino NC .
Escobar explained that one of True Ridge's main contributions has been to collaborate with the city to facilitate communication with the Latino community.
“There is already a relationship of trust with the community, and we want to serve as that bridge to the city. It’s not just about translating words, but about letting people know they can participate, ask questions, and feel like they are part of Hendersonville,” he said.
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The project for a more inclusive city
Justus acknowledged that the city has limited resources, but assured that the goal is to continue moving forward so that more residents can access municipal services.
“We hope people will participate in the issues that interest them, even if English isn't their primary language. We want them to get involved and know that the city is here to improve the quality of life for everyone. That's what we strive for every day,” he stated.
PODCAST
After the storm
A year ago, Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina. The Latino community responded with something stronger than the storm: solidarity.
🎧 In this episode, learn how Latino organizations transformed crisis into resilience.
▶️Press play to listen!
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