Editor’s Note: The following is an endearing dispatch from Peggy Rowe Ward of the Lotus Institute. Some staff, including Peggy and Larry Ward, have been directly impacted by Hurricane Helene. Please consider donating to the organizations listed below to help with relief efforts, that include tools to support those traumatized by the storm.

Dear Beloved Community,

Myself, Larry and Tashi are safe and our home is intact. Kate, her Mom, Dad and cat, Mordy, are safe and their homes are also intact. We all feel blessed. Thank you for your prayers over the last week.

I am in Charlotte so that Larry could get to his doctor’s appointment in Rhode Island this week, as the Asheville airport is closed. This is why I am now able to connect. We had and continue to have no water, electricity, cell phone service and minimal services in our neighborhood. Grocery stores are open for a few hours and then they close. Gas is very limited and waits are hours long.

But what is really hard to witness and be with is the loss of lives and missing persons, the devastation of natural resources, the losses of many homes and of whole towns like Lake Lure and Castle Rock left in a pile of rubble. Two neighbors lost homes due to the fall of trees. Trees are down everywhere. Seeing all the tree bodies everywhere is hard to witness and there is loss of animal life. Last Friday, we had a raging river appear just outside our home. Fortunately some boards kept much of the water diverted.

Neighbors are helping neighbors. Some aid is getting through, though much of the water and meals are only in downtown Asheville. This is far away, especially with so many road closures and little gas. There have been some disturbances with folks fighting for food and water. Diapers and infant food is the most needed at this moment, along with water.

We are staying with our dear friend, Ivan, from Davidson University. Tashi is pretty happy as he had a whole basket of dog toys ready when we arrived. There was one moment, last Friday, when I was sitting with Tashi looking out our bedroom window at the river that just appeared and the fallen trees, and suddenly a bear came by our window, confused and unsure. Tashi just looked at me with this look of “What the heck is going on?”

Last night I couldn’t sleep, I had such pain and nausea. It felt like I hadn’t eaten and had 20 cups of coffee. It was then I realized that this was internalized trauma. Naming it was powerful and I feel much better today. Amazing how naming, “Oh, this is adrenaline, this is the energies of trauma” helped me. I know that I can settle into my resources and experience the love that you have all been sending our way, and also sending to so many people that are suffering.

If you haven’t been to Asheville, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It will still be beautiful, thanks to the trees, rivers, mountains and wonderful people. And we have lost a lot of people, towns, trees and rivers. It is going to take some time for us all to heal to feel stable and solid.

Many folks are in shelters. Larry has been listening to the radio in his car and heard that workers are helping from all 50 states and Canada. One worker called in to say he is working around the clock and his family has no food and no water. Please pray for those still missing and all those suffering across the country from this latest storm. If you can contribute aid, please do so. We’ve listed a few organizations below in this email that are on the ground in Asheville and other hard hit areas helping to bring food, shelter and water to those in need.

With a heavy and grateful heart,

Peggy Rowe Ward
Lotus Institute co-founder + guiding teacher

Support the relief efforts

If you are able, please consider making a charitable donation to an organization dedicated to providing safety, food, and shelter to local communities affected by the hurricane. Below are three trusted organizations we are aware of. There are many others you may know of and wish to support.

Grassroots Aid Partnership
https://www.grassrootsaidpartnership.org/donate

American Red Cross
https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/

World Central Kitchen
https://donate.wck.org/give/622465/#!/donation/checkout