Helene top stories
Gerard Albert III
/
Blue Ridge Public Radio
Initial impacts from Helene — which hit the Carolinas as a tropical storm — are over. Emergency workers toiled around the clock to clear roads, restore power and phone service, and reach people stranded by the storm, which killed at least 133 people across the Southeast, a toll expected to rise.
Submitted Image
/
NC Gov. Office
Helene brought catastrophic damage to scores of roads in western North Carolina. This map, maintained by the N.C. Department of Transportation, tracks the current status of road closures.
Latest Stories
Western North Carolina suffered around $60 billion in damage from the deadly storm.
Recovery after Helene has highlighted NC system of state care for roads, excluding counties completely. Most states don’t do it that way.
For a variety of businesses in Western NC, a bustling summer tourism season is sorely needed to balance their books.
Just a month after Helene ravaged western North Carolina last fall, state lawmakers approved recovery funding that included $5 million for "increased mental health services" for students and staff in affected school districts. Six months later, much of that money has not been used.