Before Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton devastated areas of the East Coast in September and October, environmental worries were on the rise. In April 2024, Nature published The rise of eco-anxiety: scientists wake up to the mental-health toll of climate change. The experts stressed, “A top priority must be developing and evaluating ways to effectively reduce climate change’s mental-health burden while strengthening the resilience of communities that are particularly at risk. Existing tools and treatments—such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which helps people to challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours—will be part of the solution. Some studies suggest that, for individuals, taking action to combat climate change could also help to manage their eco-anxiety: a double win.”

On October 14, CNN reported on the situation in Florida, noting that concerns about the mental health effects of back-to-back disasters come as researchers predict more frequent extreme weather events. Psychoanalyst Dr. Gail Saltz, a clinical professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital, told CNN research suggests the hurricanes will make people more vulnerable to mental health problems and likely make it harder for them to recover. (In September 2023, Dr. Saltz shared her insights on anxiety with the natural products industry in the keynote session Anxiety: How Much is Too Much? at the Naturally Informed conference Stress & Mental Wellness: Mastering the Market—that session is available to view on demand).

In the aftermath of the storms, Elizabeth Sawin, Director at the Multisolving Institute, shared a call to action on LinkedIn: “If it ever existed, the time for doing just one thing at a time is behind us now. We can and must tend to the harm, prepare ourselves and our communities for shocks to come and make big shifts towards fitting in on planet earth and it all needs and is worthy of attention all at once...not as disconnected steps but as three expressions of the same fundamental values, visions, and acceptance of planetary physics.” See the three actions she outlined on her LinkedIn post.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) raised awareness to impacted communities and forests of southern Appalachia that are deeply and historically connected with the botanical industry. One such company: Gaia Herbs, which has facilities south of Asheville, NC, in Mills River, as well as a 250-acre certified organic farm in Brevard. The company shared the good news that all 252 Gaia Herbs employees and their families are safe, and seasonal farm workers who live on site were only minimally impacted. “At this time, we are prioritizing the safety and well-being of our employees, and our fulfilment facilities will remain closed until we can assess a safe return to operations,” Gaia Herbs shared. “We recognize this will delay shipments of any orders placed in the past week, and thank you for your patience as we focus our attentions on recovering our local area.” On October 9, the company offered an update on social media: “We continue to draw strength from the resilience of our Farm, our team, our Appalachian community, and everyone affected across the Southeast. While we’ve made strides, there is still much healing needed in the region. We deeply appreciate your ongoing support.”

The AHPA team shared: “We stand in support of the enormous number of people who have been catastrophically affected. Many are still isolated and in dire need of life-sustaining supplies and medical attention and we ask our members and network to consider contributing to the relief and recovery efforts taking place.” AHPA compiled the following list with donation information for organizations providing front-line care and support to the communities that were most impacted by Hurricane Helene.

See more action members of the natural products industry are taking to support communities in need, and we will continue to share more in ongoing coverage on WholeFoodsMagazine.com. As always, we also remain committed to sharing the latest educational resources for industry members, and you can access the latest insights and research on mental wellness from the 2024 Naturally Informed conference Stress & Mental Wellness: Mastering the Market on demand at no cost. WF