Helene top stories
Gerard Albert III
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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
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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.
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Farmers are still reeling more than two months after Hurricane Helene blew away cotton, destroyed ripened squash and cucumbers and uprooted pecan trees and timber. Agribusinesses in other Southern states saw costly damage as well. The University of Georgia estimates the September storm inflicted $5.5 billion in direct losses and indirect costs in Georgia alone -
While much of the Helene relief supplies so far have come through private donations, community leaders in Mitchell County and across western North Carolina are asking for help from the state and federal government for the next phases of recovery. -
In Helene impacted mountain towns, the ski season is off to a good start, helping local economies. -
The upheaval caused by Helene has been exacerbated by the region's scant inventory of houses and its dearth of affordable rental options.
