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.
Prior to another visit to western North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper joined federal officials to offer the state updates on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.
As the state continues to deal with the damage left by Hurricane Helene, several North Carolina Republicans are justifiably calling for more federal aid, but some of them previously voted against funding for FEMA and other relief bills following natural disasters.
Western North Carolina remains in crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, with ongoing recovery operations underway. Dozens of deaths have been confirmed, and hundreds of people remain unaccounted for.
These actions include issuing advisories to prevent debt collectors from targeting families with illegal medical debt collection tactics and cracking down on certain collectors. The new efforts could have a major impact in North Carolina, where as many as three million people are affected by medical debt.