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NORTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
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What do I do when disaster strikes?
That’s a question every older adult should ask. In the wake of 2024’s Hurricane Helene, which brought more than 30 inches of rain, severe flooding and 85 deaths to the Tar Heel State, AARP North Carolina recognized the need for more support for older adults hit by natural disasters.
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AARP North Carolina created the Disaster Action & Preparedness Team — or ADAPT — with volunteers such as Phil Lenowitz, 76. The team worked to connect disaster victims, who may feel overwhelmed and unsure where to look for help, with emergency resources.
Lenowitz, a retired National Institutes of Health human resources deputy director who lives in Asheville, says that during the Helene disaster, which devastated his city, he was contacted by Rosalie Calarco, AARP associate state director for the North Carolina coastal region. Calarco was checking on volunteers. She asked if he was OK, or if he needed help, and then provided a list of agencies and organizations that could assist.
From that effort, ADAPT was born and sought volunteers.
“I jumped on it,” Lenowitz says. “This is paying it forward.” He says it meant a lot to know that somebody was checking on him, even though he was fine. “I can only imagine what it would mean to someone in a dire situation,” he says.
The team first implemented the program during Winter Storm Fern, a rare ice and snow storm that threatened much of the state earlier this year. While Fern didn’t hit North Carolina hard, the ADAPT team was ready.
“First and foremost, we want to make sure people are safe,” Calarco says. Go to aarp.org/home-living/disaster-preparedness for tips on preparing for natural disasters.
More on Disasters
- How to Prepare for a Natural Disaster
- Disaster Resilience Tool Kit
- How to Recover from a Natural Disaster
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