Hurricane Helene in NC | “We have entered a state of panic. Even though I have the resources to speak English, I didn't know what to do during the first hours and days.” This is Sandra Aguirre, a Honduran co-founder of Adventurous Latinos, mother of 3 children.
And what he is referring to is that, in the face of a natural disaster like the one that is happening right now in the region, western north carolina, the language barrier becomes even higher.
Sandra lives in Morganton, a town in Burke County where fewer than 20 people reside and 24 percent of them are Latino.
The vast majority—20 percent, according to Sandra—of that community is from Guatemala, and their first language is not Spanish but the Mayan dialect of Q'an'Jobal.
"I think that because of the language barrier, our community doesn't approach official help sites, and to a certain extent the Latino community feels marginalized," explains Sandra Aguirre to Enlace Latino NC by phone from the center of town, where she walked to find a signal, communicate with her loved ones and provide information in Spanish about the help center that she herself is managing.
People began to arrive at her house seeking help, since Sandra is a leader in the area for her work promoting mountain activities among communities of color.
"Right now, many of us have power back on, the streets are being cleaned, and people are reaching out for help. We're providing water and food and referring the community to resources," Sandra reports.
Sandra Aguirre's Morganton Help Center is located at 216 East Concord Street in Morganton. Sandra's phone number is (828) 448-5665.
The fear of the community
"We weren't prepared for this, but today we got up and we're still alive, and we're going to get through this," Sandra said in the first video she was able to share on social media this morning.
When we spoke to her, she also told us that people in the town have seen trucks from the National Security Agency, and many of them were overcome with fear.
"People saw these trucks and they're afraid, but we want to tell them not to be afraid, they don't have to be afraid," Sandra emphasized.
In this regard, it is important to highlight that no one has the right to ask about immigration status in order to provide basic assistance, such as water, food, shelter, resources and emergency care in the midst of a natural disaster.
All official information available from the town of Morganton can be found at morgantonnc.gov
Although the information is in English, it can be translated into Spanish using Google Translate on the same page.
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Court suspended in Morganton
An important fact that Sandra Aguirre is trying to bring to the Latino community in Burke County is that the Morganton Courthouse is closed throughout the week.
"If you had a court case or something pending, don't worry; all appointments will be scheduled," she said, asking people to contact her if they need to file a report or have questions about this matter.
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.
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