Hurricane Helene
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Trump ends program that helped North Carolina communities avoid catastrophic flooding
Mount Pleasant, N.C. was about to receive $4 million to improve its stormwater drainage system from a FEMA program that helps communities protect against natural disasters and climate change. Then the Trump administration eliminated the program, upending a resiliency plan years in the making.
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Weeks before they lose their supermajority, NC Republicans vote to take power from Democrats who won in November
The Republican-controlled General Assembly is using a hurricane relief bill as cover to propose several unrelated provisions that take power away from the governor, attorney general, and other offices Democrats won control of in this month’s elections. UPDATE: The NC Senate passed the bill on Wednesday afternoon on party lines, 30 to 19. The legislation…
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Political grudges, conspiracy theories could undermine disaster relief under Trump
Donald Trump’s history of punishing disloyalty and Republicans’ amplification of conspiracy theories could undermine disaster relief efforts if Trump is elected to a second term in the White House.
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NC man is arrested for threatening FEMA officials after Trump spent weeks lying about them
William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, N.C., was arrested on Saturday armed with an assault rifle and a handgun soon after being overheard threatening to hurt FEMA officials. Trump has frequently accused federal officials of conspiracies tied to Helene.
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Lies about the Hurricane Helene response forecast a storm of misinformation for next month’s election
Perhaps most alarming is what these lies signal for the upcoming election. Tim Alberta, a staff writer at The Atlantic, warned on X: “If you think the lies and distortions and know-nothing takes about FEMA are bad, just wait until this time next month.”
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Storm damage increases barriers to abortion access in WNC
Planned Parenthood’s Asheville clinic, the only abortion provider in western NC, is temporarily closed because of damage from Hurricane Helene.
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Stories of heroism abound in western NC after Helene, but so do fears about the future
Two weeks ago, the mountain towns of North Carolina experienced one of the worst natural disasters in the state’s history. Members of the communities recall Helene’s impact, the response from everyday people, and what comes next.
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Hurricane Helene sparks emergency temporary NC Medicaid adjustments
With a focus on western North Carolina, NCDHHS has introduced temporary measures to aid those impacted by Hurricane Helene.
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Op-Ed: Beyond belief in Ashe County
There will be dollars coming from Raleigh and from Washington to help places like Ashe County and for that we are grateful. But local people, those of us who have raised generations here, need to make sure that those dollars are used to provide for everyone in our community.
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Home insurers argue for a 42% average rate hike in North Carolina
With many North Carolina residents still lacking power from Hurricane Helene, a hearing began Monday on the insurance industry’s request to raise homeowner premium rates.
