Disaster-hit Communities Turn to Tool Libraries, Repair Cafes
Also today: Why NYC students aren't getting a snow day, and Canadians are boycotting US ski slopes.
Tool libraries allow community members to borrow a wide range of equipment for household jobs.
Photographer: John Ewing/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
After Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in September 2024, the community-led organization Asheville Tool Library set up tables filled with tarps, power tools and other equipment that residents can borrow to fix their homes. They also operated repair cafes where volunteers helped people fix their own equipment.
Hyperlocal programs like these can be found across the US as part of the sharing economy. And in times of disaster, they have become critical — especially amid increasingly damaging storms and as federal emergency assistance dries up under the Trump administration. In fact, such community-led responses are often more important than government action, writes contributor Michael Friedrich. Today on CityLab: Storm Recovery? That’s a Job for a Tool Library