Mothers unable to feed babies due to Hurricane Helen

In the wake of Hurricane Helen, parts of North Carolina remain isolated from food supplies. And the stocks of frozen milk that mothers stored in the refrigerator began to spoil after the power went out. Several families spoke to The Guardian about this.

One of the mothers, Ziska Maria, shared that her five-month-old son required a special formula, which she mixed with milk. But after Hurricane Helen, all the frozen milk that another breastfeeding mother had donated to her began to spoil. And the nearest stores did not have that same mixture. As a result, they found the necessary goods three hours away from their city.

In addition, because not all families have decided to evacuate their homes, they do not have access to clean running water. Without it, bottles and breast pumps are difficult to disinfect, increasing the risk of infection. To help families, volunteers deliver special cleaning kits to their homes.

In some parts of North Carolina, officials say it will take several weeks for water service to be restored.

Other families had to throw away tens of kilograms of frozen milk. Breastfeeding mother Lane Tee froze her milk for about a month to prepare for her return to work. But now it is unsuitable for feeding.

The North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition is committed to providing milk and formula to families. Every day, about 40 volunteers collect humanitarian kits. However, it is argued that the organization meets only half the needs of Carolina residents.

Hurricane Helen was the deadliest to hit the US mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. According to the latest data, at least 213 people were killed. The highest number of deaths was reported in North Carolina.