Great news! I was able to get to my aunt with some supplies! She is ok, just tired & eager to connect with the outside world…washing her clothes in the creek and living off saltines and veggies from her garden. 💪🏼😭 Thank you to those who prayed!

Hey, we don’t care how you pronounce Appalachia! We’re just thankful for your help! (But just for the record, it’s app-uh-LATCH-uh) 😊

It’s actually just nice to watch a debate where both candidates are speaking coherently and somewhat respectfully. Ah, feels like old times.

Yes. This.

New Substack. Dispatch from Western, NC. open.substack.com/pub/amandaheld…

Update from Western North Carolina. Thanks for loving us y’all. open.substack.com/pub/amandaheld…

Nurses on horses helping in the hollers, just like it used to be. I love how people are coming together to help their neighbors. southernliving.com/nurses-deliver…

Hey The New York Times USA TODAY CNN The Washington Post NPR who is telling the story of Appalachian resilience? The grit, resolve, & neighborliness I am seeing in Western North Carolina is incredible & inspiring. Folks here living off the land like their ancestors taught them!

And now I am crying.

In case you are listening to a certain presidential candidate about the situation in Western NC: People are HERE. Government, FEMA, non-profits, volunteers. I’ve seen them up gravel roads & deep in the hollers of our small towns. There is SO MUCH TO DO. But we aren’t alone.