Amy Scott

Or maybe wished you could just borrow that shop vac or chainsaw?

More communities are adding tool libraries for just that purpose.

And lately, they've been playing another role in disaster response.

Michael Friedrich wrote a story about it in Bloomberg.

Thanks for joining us.

So for someone who's never been to a tool library, what are they?

Is it pretty self-explanatory?

So you wrote specifically about the Tool Library in Asheville, North Carolina, which, you know, as listeners will remember, was struck by Hurricane Helene in the fall of 2024.

What role did the library play in the recovery?

With FEMA pulling back federal disaster aid and leaving more to states and local governments, do you see this kind of mutual aid organization playing a bigger role in disaster recovery?

There is some research you cite about the benefits of community-led response.

Can you talk about that?

Wow.

But formal governments, you know, have a lot more money, right?

I mean, I assume that these can't totally replace the role of government in terms of long-term recovery.

Michael Friedrich wrote about tool libraries in Bloomberg.

Thank you so much for sharing your reporting.

If you want to hear more about solutions for a changing climate, check out the podcast I host.

It's called How We Survive.

The latest season looks at how our food is changing.