Westngn Community Voices - Henderson County

Glen and Teresa Case seen above receiving devices from LOSRC WestNGN Helene Technology Recovery Program.

WestNGN recently went to the FEMA building in Hendersonville for a device drop. We cover four counties and it can be a challenge for people to fit the Asheville pick-up into their lives, so sometimes we head out with a bunch of devices to make it easier. FEMA are there, as are many other necessary organizations post-Helene.

Some of the first to arrive were Glen and Teresa Case. Their house was unlivable after Helene, entirely washed out, so they’re living with their son and his family. They’re with their grand kids, which is nice, but they miss their washed out home. Glen is a musician, he plays guitar, and needs a device to book gigs for his business. Teresa needed a laptop for household management. A networked device – laptop, tablet – allows people to connect not just to each other for friendships and support, but to necessary services: to pay bills, request aid, find what they need.

We handed them a tablet and a laptop.

“Is that it?” they asked.

“That’s it,” we told them.

They expected forms, delays, questions, not a prompt provision of two devices. We shook hands and when we asked if we could take their picture and tell their story they were happy to say yes.

That evening we also handed out devices to low-income individuals, to people struggling after the storm, to some in K-12 education, in community college, running small businesses. The regional digital divide between those who have access to the internet and those who don’t was not created by the storm, but it has deepened that divide. WestNGN works to create a culture of digital inclusion in Western North Carolina, and device drops like this is one of the ways we move it forward.

-Westngn Team