Disaster relief

State and federal money has been slow to arrive, but Madison County locals have been able to get things up and running with donations and volunteer labor. Now they're hoping tourists will return for what could be a make-or-break 2026.

North Carolina's hazard mapping program is trying to better predict which landslide-prone places face threats in future storms. The state's geological survey responded to more slides after Helene than it had between 1990 and 2023.

The federal government has appropriated about $5 billion to Helene relief. Stein says that pales in comparison to other large hurricanes, and Western NC needs more.

The Buncombe County town suffered severe damage when Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina.

Officials from the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina and N.C. Emergency Management were speaking in front of a legislative hurricane recovery committee.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal caused flooding across Central North Carolina, causing rivers like the Eno and Haw to reach record flood levels.

North Carolina has declared a state of emergency after Tropical Storm Chantal caused severe flooding and at least six deaths. Gov. Josh Stein announced the declaration Thursday, citing overwhelmed local response efforts.

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.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding those impacted by Helene that they still have time to apply for disaster relief.

When Gov. Josh Stein took office in January, he inherited the fallout from one of the worst natural disasters in the state’s history. The estimated $60 billion recovery from Hurricane Helene has been Stein’s “top priority as governor,” the Democrat told Carolina Public Press. His initial days in office have shown it.