Asheville radio reporter talks about Helene's impact on Spanish-speaking communities

ASHEVILLE – Nearly six weeks after Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, people in and around Asheville are still putting their lives together.

News anchor Jose Sandoval’s daily Spanish-language broadcasts have been a vital lifeline to Western North Carolina’s small but growing Latino community, providing information about public services and dispelling misinformation.

The broadcasts can be heard on Blue Ridge Public Radio, the Asheville-based public radio station for the far western part of the state.

Sandoval, originally from Elgin, Illinois, joined Blue Ridge Public Radio about a year ago.

He said he was drawn to the “Southern hospitality” when he moved to Asheville.

“I showed up during the fall. It’s one of the most beautiful times in Western North Carolina to see the leaves changing. The climate was amazing.” Sandoval said.

During a casual walk around the city, he realized that Asheville was different from the other cities in which he lived.

“I didn’t see many people who looked like me. There weren’t many other Latinos and Hispanics walking around downtown,” he said.

Radio host Jose Sandoval speaks Spanish to the Latino community in Asheville and surrounding areas. Blue Ridge Public Radio also broadcasts Helene's Spanish-translated recovery briefings as a service to the community. — Radio host Jose Sandoval speaks Spanish to the Latino community in Asheville and surrounding areas. Blue Ridge Public Radio also broadcasts Helene’s Spanish-translated recovery briefings as a service to the community.

Although the Latino population in the Asheville area is small but growing rapidly, Sandoval knew he had to do something about the hurricane’s victims — especially those with language barriers — once he fully appreciated the extent of the devastation around the city and rural areas. understood.

“How can they get their news and information? Where can they get food and water? If they need shelter, where do they go, and how do they hear it in their language?” Sandoval said.

The county’s bilingual communications specialist, Rocio Quintero, has previous experience reaching Latino communities online since COVID-19.

But Helene’s wind and water knocked out power, Wi-Fi and cell service, so it was “difficult to know how to get information about recovery efforts when these communications media weren’t working,” she said.

“We had to put this out on the radio so people can turn on their cars and listen to what’s happening.”

There is a Spanish music radio station in Western North Carolina, but it has limited news sources.

So Quintero contacted Sandoval at Blue Ridge Public, which was powered by a generator and live on the air.

“And (she) asked me, ‘Can you please broadcast the Spanish interpretation of the briefings on your airwaves’?” he said.

“At that moment I thought: OK, we can’t wait anymore.”

Sandoval called his boss and they agreed to proceed without hesitation.

Although Blue Ridge Public Radio’s signal reaches most of Western North Carolina, Sandoval initially didn’t know if anyone in the storm-affected areas would even need to tune in to hear these briefings.

“We had no idea. Ultimately, we did this in confidence, hoping they would listen,” he said.

Sandoval didn’t hesitate. With the help of his colleagues at the station, he managed to provide critical information and dispel misinformation in Spanish on a daily basis.

Close friends and Latino organizations who heard him on the air appreciated the effort. It was the only way to ensure his Spanish-language broadcasts would have an impact.

Amid the initial chaos, Sandoval added details about what forms to fill out for disaster survivors or food assistance programs or what Spanish translation services were offered. He debunked statements such as:

“No, the government is not here to take over Chimney Rock and FEMA is here to help you,” Sandoval said.

“It was really important to get that fact-checked information out there,” he adds.

The station is approaching Helene’s two-month mark and continues to air hurricane relief briefings every afternoon while the region remains in disaster recovery mode.

Sandoval has also occasionally recorded on-air interviews with bilingual officials in the Asheville area.

He says there continues to be a steady stream of public announcements and updates appropriate for these communities.

As one of two native Spanish speakers on the channel, Sandoval says he’s trying to figure out how to keep the Spanish-language content afloat.

“Even when we are exhausted, we are tired,” Sandoval added, “we know we have to keep doing this for the community.”