Helene Archives - Page 4 of 9

Holiday Gift Guide: Handcrafted items from North Carolina support hurricane recovery

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The town of Asheville, North Carolina, is known for its artists and restaurants. In September, it was devastated by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Even businesses not physically harmed suffered weeks without power and water. And Asheville was essentially closed to tourists during its busiest season. So local artists and small businesses are now hoping that visitors will return to speed their recovery. And they’re selling handcrafted holiday gifts online. The heavily damaged River Arts District, for instance, lets artists sell through its website. And the tourism authority Explore Asheville has set up a site called “Love Asheville from Afar.”… Continue Reading

North Carolina GOP lawmakers enact a law eroding the incoming Democratic governor’s powers

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina House Republicans have enacted legislation that erodes some powers of several statewide offices newly-elected Democrats are slated to hold next month. Lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. One of the most significant changes shifts the power to appoint state elections board members from the governor to the state auditor. The state auditor will be a Republican next year. The law also diminishes some powers of the attorney general, lieutenant governor and schools superintendent. Opposition to the bill has drawn protests in the state House’s gallery.… Continue Reading

Vance tells North Carolina residents rebuilding after the hurricane that they haven’t been forgotten

FAIRVIEW, N.C. (AP) — Vice President-elect JD Vance is surveying hurricane damage in western North Carolina in one of his first public appearances since the November election. Vance and his wife, Usha, visited the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department, which was flooded with 4 to 6 inches of water in the storm. They heard that roughly a dozen people got walking pneumonia while responding to the hurricane’s destruction and that power outages prevented some first responders from talking with their families. Vance said, “At the height of it, I imagine y’all were working nonstop.” Vance has largely stayed out of the public eye since the election aside from shepherding Trump’s Cabinet nominees around Capitol Hill.… Continue Reading

North Carolina Republicans close in on enacting bill that weakens incoming Democratic governor

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislative Republicans are closing in on enacting a measure that would erode powers of the incoming governor and other statewide Democratic officials who got elected last month. The GOP-dominated state Senate voted successfully on Monday to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill. The bill would in part weaken Gov.-elect Josh Stein. It would transfer the governor’s authority to make State Board of Elections appointments to the next state auditor — a Republican. The bill now returns to the House, where another successful override vote next week would make it law. Litigation is possible, however.… Continue Reading

Bank makes hundreds of millions in loans available to assist Helene recovery in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Truist Financial Corporation has announced that it is making hundreds of millions of dollars in loans available to residents, businesses and local governments affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. The Charlotte-based bank said in a news release Wednesday that it will lend more than $650 million and offer more in grants and investments over three years. The company’s initiative comes as state legislators have approved hundreds of millions of dollars in Helene aid, while the governor’s office says more is needed. The Truist initiative includes $340 million in lending for small businesses, home mortgages and commercial real estate. It will offer another $310 million in low-cost, tax-exempt loans to municipalities for infrastructure.… Continue Reading

The White House’s Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms

NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) — The White House’s Christmas tree is slated to be cut and transported from a North Carolina farm on Wednesday. Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm is located in Avery County, North Carolina. It was one of the hardest-hit counties from Hurricane Helene just a few months before. The farm experienced some road damage and lost between 5,000 to 6,000 smaller trees in a mudslide. But one of the owners, Sam Cartner Jr., says that other Christmas tree farmers had it much worse than his family’s farm. He hopes the White House tree can be an inspiring symbol for western North Carolina.… Continue Reading

Biden seeks nearly $100 billion in emergency disaster aid after Hurricanes Helene and Milton

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is requesting nearly $100 billion in emergency disaster aid after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other natural disasters. He’s telling lawmakers that the money is “urgently needed.” Biden says in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday that he’s met firsthand with those harmed by the storms and has heard what residents and businesses need from the federal government. The largest share of the money, about $40 billion, would go to the main disaster relief fund at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. An additional $24 billion would help farmers and $12 billion would go toward community development block grants.… Continue Reading

Western North Carolina’s water system is finally back online after Helene

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — More than 100,000 residents in western North Carolina are now allowed to drink and bathe with water from their home faucets. The change on Monday comes nearly two months after Hurricane Helene destroyed much of the local water system. Clay Chandler is a spokesman for Asheville’s Water Resources Department. He said tests of the water “were all clear” and that a boil-water notice was lifted. Asheville restored running water to most of its users by the end of October. But the city instituted a boil-water notice as workers brought the system back online and ran tests.… Continue Reading

Driver dies after crashing on hurricane-damaged highway in North Carolina

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Officials say a driver has died after going around a barricade on a hurricane-damaged North Carolina highway that became a symbol of Helene’s destruction. Photos of Interstate 40 with multiple lanes washed out by Helene near the Tennessee state line garnered widespread attention after the storm. The Junaluska Community Volunteer Fire Department says emergency workers responded to eastbound Interstate 40 on Saturday night. The fire department says crews rappelled down an embankment to reach the vehicle. The driver, the only person in the vehicle, was extricated and taken to a hospital where she later died.… Continue Reading

North Carolina sees turnout record with more than 4.2M ballots cast at early in-person voting sites

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina elections officials say that more than 4.2 million voters cast ballots at early in-person voting sites, with turnout in western counties hit by Hurricane Helene outpacing the rest of the state. The State Board of Elections announced the record turnout Sunday. Early in-person voting, which ended Saturday, has become increasingly popular in the presidential battleground state over several election cycles. In 2020, a record 3.63 million people voted during the early-voting period. This year, the board said the state exceeded that total by Thursday, days before the period ended.… Continue Reading