Disaster Relief Archives

North Carolina governor signs Hurricane Helene relief bill

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed the state’s first relief package to address Hurricane Helene’s devastation. The bill signed Thursday allocates $273 million for immediate needs and gives flexibility to agencies and displaced residents in western counties. The Republican-dominated legislature approved the measure unanimously the day before. Nearly all the money will be used to meet the federal government’s match for state and local disaster assistance programs. Other provisions help nutrition workers in closed schools. The money is coming from the state’s large savings reserve. The bill also changes how upcoming elections are conducted in 25 counties. More Helene relief legislation could advance in two weeks.… Continue Reading

Harris rips Trump for his criticism of federal storm response and calls for ‘dignity’

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and the White House are criticizing Donald Trump for his attacks on the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and suggesting he is wrongly trying to turn the deadly storms to his political advantage. Attending a town hall sponsored by Univision in Las Vegas, Harris said, “I have to stress that this is not a time for people to play politics.” Those comments came after the former president spoke at the Detroit Economic Club, saying the Biden administration’s response had been lacking, particularly in North Carolina after Helene. “They’ve let those people suffer unjustly,” said Trump, who has for several days promoted falsehoods about the federal response.… Continue Reading

North Carolina maker of high-purity quartz back operating post-Helene

SPRUCE PINE, N.C. (AP) — One of the two companies that manufacture high-purity quartz used for making semiconductors from mines in a western North Carolina community harmed by Hurricane Helene is operating again. Sibelco announced on Thursday that production has restarted at its mining and processing operations in Spruce Pine. Customer shipments also are happening. Sibelco and The Quartz Corp. shut down operations ahead of Helene’s arrival. The Quartz Corp. said last week it was too early to know when it would resume operations. Spruce Pine quartz is used to manufacture the equipment needed to make silicon chips. It’s also used for making solar panels and fiber-optic cables.… Continue Reading

FACT FOCUS: Online posts make unfounded claims about a helicopter delivering aid in North Carolina

A video showing a helicopter hovering over a Burnsville, North Carolina, aid distribution site has been viewed millions of times with some claiming that its aim was to destroy the supplies. But the North Carolina National Guard said in a statement that the helicopter, which blew items around the site and knocked over canopies, was attempting to make a generator delivery that had been requested by a local civilian organization. The statement said the helicopter’s crew has been grounded until an investigation into the incident is completed.… Continue Reading

North Carolina lawmakers pass $273M Helene relief bill with voting changes to more counties

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislators have approved an initial $273 million relief package to help address Hurricane Helene’s devastation and recovery in the mountains. The unanimous House and Senate passage on Wednesday came less than two weeks after Helene’s historical rainfall caused catastrophic damage and loss of life. Repubilcan legislative leaders who helped craft the measure described it as a down payment on aid. The bill also mostly follows rule alterations for conducting elections and turning in ballots that were approved unanimously Monday by the State Board of Elections for 13 western counties. But it would now cover 25 counties. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the board offered input for the bill.… Continue Reading

How Waffle House helps Southerners — and FEMA — judge a storm’s severity

For some residents of storm-prone Southeastern states, the best indicator of a hurricane’s severity can be found at the local Waffle House. If the Georgia-based restaurant chain stays open in town, neighbors are reassured that the coming storm is unlikely to cause devastation. A closed location of the dependable diner chain has come to indicate impending disaster. What might sound like silly logic has become one of the most reliable ways for Southerners and even federal officials to gauge a storm’s severity and identify communities most in need of immediate aid. The Waffle House Index was created by a federal emergency management official and is still used today.… Continue Reading

This camp provides a safe space for kids to learn and play after Hurricane Helene

BREVARD, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Helene flooded the Weissmans’ home last month. They need to chase down private insurance claims and fill out federal aid applications. But their priority is their children. Schools have been closed since the storm and on Monday morning, Max Weissman took his son Avi and his daughter Reyna to a free, pop-up day camp where dozens of kids were making bracelets, drawing, and playing oversized games of Jenga and Connect Four in a large playroom. The camp is hosted by the L.A.-based nonprofit Project:Camp. As storms become more frequent and severe, the organization is increasingly traveling to disaster-affected communities to set up spaces where kids can process the disruption and devastation of a disaster while their parents start the long recovery process.… Continue Reading

As FEMA prepares for Hurricane Milton, it battles rumors surrounding Helene recovery

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fighting misinformation since Helene slammed into Florida nearly two weeks ago. The false claims are being fueled by former President Donald Trump and others just ahead of the presidential election, and are coming as the agency is gearing up to respond to a second major disaster. Hurricane Milton is set to strike Florida on Wednesday. The FEMA administrator told reporters Tuesday that she’s never seen the disinformation problem as bad as it’s been with Helene. A county official in North Carolina says part of the problem is that affected regions have been largely without phone lines and internet, so outside voices have an easier time setting the narrative.… Continue Reading

FEMA administrator continues pushback against false claims as Helene death toll hits 230

LAKE LURE, N.C. (AP) — The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is again forcefully pushing back against false claims and conspiracy theories about how her agency is responding to Hurricane Helene. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell appeared Monday in Asheville, North Carolina, to assure residents that the government is ready to help. Misinformation has spread over the past week in communities hit the hardest. Former President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans have questioned FEMA’s response and falsely claimed that its funding is going to migrants or foreign wars. The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 230.… Continue Reading

North Carolina residents impacted by Helene likely to see some voting changes

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina State Board of Elections has unanimously passed an emergency resolution to make several voting changes in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene devastated the region. The board is made up of both Democrats and Republicans. The resolution passed Monday includes changes for 13 affected counties in western North Carolina such as allowing absentee ballots to be dropped off at Election Day polling places by 7:30 p.m. It also lets impacted voters pick up absentee ballots in-person until the day before the election. County election boards may also make changes to where early voting and Election Day polling places are located.… Continue Reading