A collection of CARE PACKAGE hygiene kits that will be part of CARE's disaster response. Photo: CARE. “Being shut off from the world, not knowing what's next. For me and my family, it was a very scary feeling.” As Shamira Temple, a single mother in Asheville, North Carolina, thinks back to Hurricane Helene, she remembers feeling unprepared for the storm and the destruction it brought. When Helene descended upon western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024, it was no longer the Category 4 storm that made landfall in Florida the day before. Still, the storm brought high-powered winds and record rainfall that toppled trees and flooded streets, businesses, and homes. Once the storm had passed, Shamira, who was six months pregnant at the time, felt like she was completely cut off from the world. She and her three sons had no electricity, no water, and no cell service. The storm made many of the roads undriveable, damaged cars, and made gas hard to find. Trying to get to a store that was open seemed impossible.…