Helene Archives - Page 7 of 9

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

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

Officials work to protect IV supplies in Florida after disruptions at North Carolina plant

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are working to move IV bags out of the path of Hurricane Milton, which is threatening another manufacturer of IV fluids even as hospitals nationwide are still reeling from disruptions caused by flooding at a large factory in North Carolina. Medical manufacturer B. Braun Medical closed its facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, ahead of the storm. The company says it expects to resume manufacturing and shipping Friday morning. Braun is one of several IV producers that have been tapped to boost supplies after Baxter International’s North Carolina plant was damaged in Hurricane Helene.… 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

Red Cross deploys more than 600 volunteers to aid disaster relief in western North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — As the aftermath of devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene continues to affect western North Carolina, more than 600 volunteers from across the country have mobilized to provide critical disaster relief. Heather Frazee, Executive Director of the American Red Cross’ Piedmont Triad Chapter, recently told Carolina Newsmakers host Don Curtis that the immediate focus of the relief operations is providing shelter, food, and basic necessities to those displaced by the flooding. Frazee also noted the challenging terrain in the mountains, compounded by road closures and dangerous conditions, which has made rescue and relief efforts more complex.… Continue Reading

Mexican immigrant families plagued by grief, questions after plant workers swept away by Helene

ERWIN, Tenn. (AP) — Hurricane Helene left a devastating mark on the small Latino community that makes up a disproportionate number of workers at a plastics factory in Erwin, Tennessee. Six of its workers were swept away, four of them Mexican Americans. Loved ones and supporters have been gathering for vigils in front of churches, a high school and a grocery store to honor those lost. They question why Impact Plastics workers weren’t told to leave the job sooner. Company President Gerald O’Connor says no employees were forced to keep working. He says they were evacuated at least 45 minutes before the massive force of the flood hit the industrial park.… Continue Reading

Homeowners hit by Hurricane Helene face the grim task of rebuilding without flood insurance

A week after Hurricane Helene overwhelmed the Southeastern U.S., homeowners hit the hardest are grappling with how they could possibly pay for the flood damage from one of the deadliest storms in recent history to hit the mainland. The Category 4 storm that first struck Florida’s Gulf Cost on September 26 has dumped trillions of gallons of water across several states, leaving a catastrophic trail of destruction that spans hundreds of miles inland. Insurance professionals and experts have long warned that home insurance typically does not cover flood damage to the home. But most private insurance companies don’t carry flood insurance, leaving the National Flood Insurance Program run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the primary provider for that coverage for residential homes.… Continue Reading

Inside the North Carolina mountain town that Hurricane Helene nearly wiped off the map

CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly 400 miles from where Hurricane Helene made landfall, the North Carolina mountain hamlet of Chimney Rock Village has been all but wiped off the map. The backs of restaurants and gift shops that boasted riverfront balconies dangle ominously in mid-air. The Hickory Nut Brewery, opened when Rutherford County went “wet” and allowed alcohol sales about a decade ago, collapsed nearly a week after the storm. The buildings across Main Street are choked with several feet of reddish-brown muck. A resident who served in the Iraq war said it reminded him of a combat zone.… Continue Reading