Looting to Survive Climate Change

If you live in Nashville, see below for opportunities to donate supplies to East Tennessee communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The flooding in Appalachia stands as a stark reminder of the urgent need to confront both the human and environmental costs of corporate exploitation. For generations, extractive industries like coal mining have plundered the land, poisoning water and destabilizing ecosystems for the sake of short-term profit. Now, the people who have long borne the brunt of this exploitation are left to face the devastating consequences of climate change—flooding, displacement, and destruction of their homes.

When communities are flooded, it’s often the poorest and most marginalized who suffer the most. In the case of Appalachia, these are the very people who have been abandoned by the corporations that built their wealth on the region’s back. With inadequate infrastructure and historic disinvestment, these families are left to fend for themselves. In times of crisis, survival often means doing whatever it takes—including looting.

But when we talk about "looting" in the context of surviving climate devastation, it’s important to ask: who are the real looters? Is it the desperate family taking food and supplies to survive, or the corporations that have looted Appalachia’s resources for generations, leaving behind environmental degradation and economic devastation? The true crime is not in the desperate acts of survival but in the systemic abandonment of these communities and the exploitation of their land.

Flooding in Appalachia isn’t just a natural disaster—it’s a man-made crisis exacerbated by decades of corporate greed and environmental neglect. The people of Appalachia deserve justice for the immediate relief from climate disasters and the long-term repair of the ecosystems and economies destroyed in the name of profit. It's time to hold the corporations accountable for their role in creating the conditions that make looting necessary and to reimagine an economic system that values people and the planet over corporate exploitation.

The tragedy unfolding in Unicoi County, where people remain unaccounted for following devastating storms, is made even more horrifying by the gross negligence of Impact Plastics. Despite the advanced warnings of severe weather, the company failed to adequately protect its workers, leaving them vulnerable to the very conditions that claimed their lives or led to their disappearance. The fact that families are now desperately searching for their loved ones—like Lydia Verdugo, Monica Hernandez, Rosa Andrade, and Bertha Mendoza—is not only heartbreaking, but also a glaring indictment of the company’s failure to prioritize employee safety.

Impact Plastics operates in a region where corporate disregard for worker welfare and environmental safety is too common. The company was responsible for ensuring that preventable hazards did not endanger its workers. Yet, by ignoring or underestimating the severity of the storms, they exposed their workforce to unimaginable danger. The lack of preparation, evacuation plans, or appropriate safety protocols reveals a staggering level of negligence.

This disaster is a reflection of the systemic exploitation of vulnerable workers in Appalachia—predominantly women, immigrants, and low-wage laborers—who are seen as disposable by corporations seeking profit at any cost. While the search continues, the accountability for this tragedy lies not only in the storm's destructive power, but in the callous disregard of Impact Plastics and similar companies that have continually prioritized profit over the lives of those who keep their operations running.

This legacy of destruction now collides with the worsening impacts of climate change, forcing the region's most marginalized people to endure floods, displacement, and the loss of their homes.

So, how do we move forward?

The path forward for Tennessee must be rooted in justice, corporate accountability, and sustainability. The state needs to adopt bold policies that center people over profits, particularly the communities that have been most impacted by corporate exploitation and climate change.

This means investing in resilient infrastructure, ensuring that workers are safe on the job, and demanding accountability from corporations that continue to exploit both the land and its people. It also means moving beyond the destructive economic models of the past and embracing a green economy that fosters long-term, equitable development. It means ensuring that corporations who have become wealthy on the backs of Tennesseans pay what they owe. Tennesseans deserve an economy that works for them—not for corporate elites—and we must relentlessly fight for a future where all people can live with dignity and safety, free from the harms of climate disasters and corporate greed.

We must build a state where corporate greed no longer threatens our environment or the lives of working people and where all communities have the resources and infrastructure needed to thrive in the face of climate challenges.

If you live in Nashville, you can drop off supplies at Apple and Oak in East Nashville from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Amqui Station in Madison from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Click the links to identify what supplies are needed. I will be taking these supplies to Cocke County, Tennessee on Monday.

Please donate to the relief efforts listed here: Hurrican Helene relief efforts