From combat to community: Veterans supporting their neighbors

In just 30 years, the federal government has allocated hundreds of billions of dollars to disaster response in the United States. While this spending provides crucial resources, it often overlooks the unique challenges faced by some of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals. Disabled veterans—many of whom live on fixed incomes and are unable to work—face a special kind of peril when their communities are devastated by natural disasters.

These men and women who once served their country now find themselves navigating destroyed homes, disrupted medical care and financial instability without the safety net of robust employment or savings. Yet, amid the sea of federal aid and staggering costs, the most inspiring stories often emerge not from the government’s efforts but from the resilience of everyday Americans—neighbors helping neighbors, veterans supporting one another and communities uniting to rebuild.

The one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton last fall proved this once again.

“I live in East Tennessee where the hurricanes and flooding devastated so many areas,” said Kenny Belew, adjutant of Chapter 39 in Bluff City, where water and sewage systems were in total disrepair and people required airlifts to bring drinking water in for residents.

Belew and his chapter members mobilized their relief efforts.

“Commander Michael Harman of Chapter 39 immediately reached out to all chapter commanders in East Tennessee and set up a videoconference call to discuss what we needed to do for veterans in our area,” Belew said.

Because veterans in Chapter 39 operate a food pantry, their first step was to secure more food and then reach out to every chapter and Auxiliary unit member to see if anyone needed assistance. They distributed food, clothing, water and other much-needed supplies. The veterans who may not have power until spring received generators.

In North Carolina, some areas are expected to be without power until March or April. Hurricane Helene caused 1,400 landslides and damaged over 160 water and sewer systems. At least 6,000 miles of roads and over 1,000 bridges were ruined. “Right now, things are getting better,” said Commander Jim Hunter of the Department of North Carolina. “There’s a lot of grunt work going on out there, opening roads. So we’re finding pockets here and there that have not gotten everything that they would like, but we’re working to mitigate those.”

Coordination was key in the Tarheel State. At 6 a.m. the day after Helene hit, Hunter was coordinating with members of his department. Within hours, he was on the phone with the local Auxiliary commander as she was driving, trying to make her way through the mountains. Hunter, an assistant chief volunteer firefighter, used his connections to find a fire department in the mountains willing to take initial food and water donations.

Their efforts made it possible for the first truck of food and water to arrive within two days of the first storm. Once the initial process was set in the first area, they moved on to the next.

“Most of the places we go, we tap in either with our local chapter or a local Auxiliary member and we hand communication off to them. They take it from there to get where it needs to go,” said Hunter.

DAV North Carolina Department Adjutant Janice Weathers took things from there. She continues to manage the wish list for Hunter. “We don’t call it a 24/7 response; we call it a 25/8,” Weathers said. “It goes back to the (esprit de corps). It goes back to never leave your buddy behind. It goes back to I got your six.”

According to Hunter, being part of a national organization made relief efforts easier. Chapter commanders throughout the region were in constant communication to identify needs and resources.

“There are no state lines when it comes to DAV,” said Hunter. “I could not be prouder of a national organization, that we act as one.”

“In the military, we rely on each other for survival,” said DAV National Commander Daniel Contreras. “Many of our members had life-or-death experiences while on active duty. Relying on someone for your survival leads to a sense of collective identity, so when one hurts, we jump into action to help. Especially after devastation at this scale.”

Florida received catastrophic damage from both hurricanes, capping one of the most destructive hurricane seasons in recent history.

“Houses and cars are covered in either water and sand. The whole beach is destroyed—for about 80 miles,” said Florida resident and Past National Commander Andy Marshall days after Hurricane Milton hit.

A member of Chapter 4 in New Port Richey, Marshall said many veterans throughout the state were hit hard. In Bradenton, a mandatory evacuation ahead of Milton closed two mobile home parks, leaving 90 people without a shelter. Chapter 18 housed the refugees for two days, providing three meals daily during their stay.

Back in East Tennessee, Belew and Chapter 39 continued reaching out to veterans in their area to determine their needs and offer assistance. They rented storage units to store and sort supplies coming in from as far away as Buffalo, New York.

“I cannot be prouder of the chapters reaching out to help,” said Shannon Sander, DAV Department of New York commander. “Helping our brothers and sisters when disasters happen is so vital to our mission.”

This aid was provided alongside disaster relief grants from DAV. All told, DAV benefits advocates were in affected areas providing more than $1 million in disaster relief for veterans and their families from these storms alone, bringing the total distributed in 2024 to over $1.5 million as of Dec. 1.

After Helene swept through Tennessee, Belew and his chapter helped a local veteran in need. Not too long after they left, he received the following text from the person they helped:

“Sir I want to personally thank you for what you did for me. I wasn’t expecting it as I’m getting ran around everywhere else up here. How do I become a member of DAV?”

For Belew, this makes all the hard work worth it.