Letter: Where is help for elderly public housing residents?

I am writing to inform the public of the dire public health situation present at public housing complexes in Asheville after Tropical Storm Helene. I have been working with a nonprofit to help flush toilets of elderly in our community, and many of them live in public housing.

These people are facing so many unimaginable circumstances. At this writing (Tuesday, Oct. 15), the oxygen companies are not currently delivering the oxygen people need when they run out, and they cannot get to refill sites because it is almost impossible for these people to walk to the bus stop after being without oxygen for days or weeks.

There are people who usually have a nurse come in to dress their wounds or wrap their legs, but those nurses have been unable to get to them or are no longer with us. And many of these elders cannot lift a bucket to get water into their toilets, if they even have access to nonpotable water at all. I have seen people who had to sit in their own waste for days because no one was there to help them.

I thank God for the volunteers who have decided to take on this mission and help these people’s suffering, as well as EMS and the fire department.

However, my question for the public and for the City of Asheville is: Why are volunteers, 2 1/2 weeks later, still the only force out in these communities helping these people? Why is the City of Asheville not addressing these issues? These people need help beyond the capabilities of even the most well-meaning volunteers, and many of those volunteers are headed back to work this week. COVID has already begun to break out in these facilities, and I worry about other even worse illnesses beginning to spread.

— Kimberly McAninch
Asheville

Editor’s note: Xpress reached out to the City of Asheville and the leadership of the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville for a response to the writer’s points. We received the following response from City spokesperson Samantha Booth: “The damage done by Helene extended deep into our community. While Housing Authority neighborhoods are not managed by the City, we remain in constant contact with their staff. The City of Asheville and our recovery partners are managing several operations to assist people in our community. Together, we arranged focused deliveries of critical supplies using our climate justice map as a guide. Deliveries consisted of bottled water and MREs (meals ready to eat). Some locations also received baby supplies, paper products, hygiene items, cleaning supplies and more. A number of neighborhoods, with emphasis on Housing Authority neighborhoods, were served through this focused effort. Asheville police, fire, National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have responded to numerous wellness checks throughout Asheville. The National Guard performed door-to-door wellness checks in neighborhoods managed by the Housing Authority. Wellness checks continue through the Asheville Fire Department. During these checks, responders check the status of the individuals and connect them to resources.”