As the skies clear and the rivers start to recede, communities across the southeastern United States are beginning to take stock of the damages caused by Hurricane Helene. Preliminary estimates of the total loss and damage are between $145 and $160 billion, making Helene one of the most destructive storms in US history. Across multiple states, millions remain without power, waiting for updates from friends and family. Despite being far from the coast, Appalachia was devastated by the storm, a stark reminder that pluvial flooding from heavy rainfall and fluvial flooding from overflowing rivers can be as destructive as coastal flooding. In Tennessee, dozens of people were rescued by helicopter from a hospital rooftop, while in western North Carolina, collapsed roads and outages have left the community without running water, cell service, or internet. Even the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville has been knocked offline. But in these moments, it’s not federal agencies or major relief organizations who are first to act — communities are stepping up to become their own first responders.

In Swannanoa, North Carolina, a brewery distributed clean water to over a thousand people. Crowds gathered at the main branch of the Asheville public library – one of the few places still with electricity – to connect with loved ones and relay urgent needs to rescue teams. A cooperative bookstore transformed into a hub to distribute resources and information.

This is a familiar phenomenon: grassroots relief efforts are critical to successful disaster response and recovery. Like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, these efforts can mobilize faster and draw on an intimate understanding of local context and needs. Their close connections to the community enable them to identify and respond rapidly to changing conditions, often addressing specific needs that fall outside the scope of more established organizations or government.

These local groups are also better at reaching the most vulnerable populations. The poor, elderly, LGBTQ+ individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and others often live in places more susceptible to flooding, lack the resources to evacuate, and struggle to recover and rebuild after a disaster hits. They are also often the last to receive help – or excluded altogether – from official response and recovery efforts.

The importance of these groups also does not diminish once the government and larger groups like the Red Cross and FEMA arrive. Their vital role remains in the weeks and months following a disaster and through the recovery period. After Hurricane Sandy, a study found that a third of people who requested help turned to their family, friends, and neighbors, while only 16 percent sought aid from the government.

Grassroots relief takes many forms: large organized groups like the Cajun Navy or Occupy Sandy, small business serving as drop-off and distribution hubs, or individuals checking on their elderly neighbors. Local media outlets may collect and disseminate real-time information on emergency response needs and damage to roads and other infrastructure.

Regardless of their form, grassroots efforts are essential, and governments should support them before, during, and after disasters. Cities and states can invest in social infrastructure, such as libraries, parks, and “third places” that help rebuild and strengthen the community ties that are the foundation of grassroots relief. National disaster management organizations can build communication platforms to improve collaboration between local groups and official response organizations. Local governments can map areas of strong social cohesion and identify where additional support is needed. Encouraging collaboration between communities and government ensures that in times of crisis, grassroots and official responders can draw on their relationships to coordinate efforts and avoid duplication. Above all, we must recognize that the public is far from a source of panic that must be managed. The public is one of our greatest sources of resilience –  and it’s time we treated them as such for a more just and prepared society.