Stay up to date with WRAL’s After the storm news and reporting coverage
People and businesses are working to get back on their feet one year after Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
A year after an EF3 tornado devastated Rocky Mount, leaving Keishia Justice's business in ruins, the resilient business owner is back on her feet. As another storm threatens, Nash County officials urge preparedness.
The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA's response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noem's big donors make the ask.
One year after Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina, the extent of the damage is becoming clearer.
Claudette Childs is a lifelong resident of Pensacola, a tiny community in Yancey County. After living through the destruction and loss of life from Hurricane Helene, Childs and others like her are feeling abandoned by the federal and state governments.
Eric Miller, WRAL anchor/reporter
The approval comes a little more than a month after Gov. Josh Stein asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a public assistance disaster declaration to increase the federal relief dollars.
WRAL News staff reports
Putting aside partisan differences: After U.S. Sen. Ted Budd put pressure on FEMA over western North Carolina aid for Hurricane Helene, Gov. Josh Stein is heaping on the praise.
Cristin Severance and Will Doran, WRAL News
North Carolina schools are using the "Ready, Set, Resilience" program to help students build skills to handle life's challenges, including natural disasters.
Rodanthe has had 11 homes collapse into the Atlantic Ocean in the last five years.
The use of artificial intelligence is growing in an effort to steal disaster-relief money from people who really need it.
Damage from Tropical Storm Chantal in the Triangle means some parks and trails won't reopen for longer than a year. At Eno River State Park, the timeline to reopen is uncertain.
Tropical Depression Chantal, which hit North Carolina as a tropical depression on July 6 and 7, dumped 9 to 12 inches of rain and prompted flooding in low-lying areas near rivers and creeks. Gov. Josh Stein surveyed the damage on Friday.
Gov. Josh Stein spoke Thursday from the town of Hot Springs. Stein has visited western North Carolina this week to visit towns ravaged by Hurricane Helene. Video courtesy of WBIR.
Much of the U.S., including North Carolina, has experienced a significant increase in intense rainfall and widespread flooding throughout July, often unrelated to tropical systems and impacting areas outside designated floodplains.
When a neighbor's tree falls on your home or yard, are they responsible or are you?
WRAL 5 On Your Side
The man was trapped under a collapsed home for hours after a storm moved through St. Louis. Family members of the man arrived at the scene shortly after the collapse, and were working with first responders to get into the rubble.
A proposed North Carolina bill would ban toxic pavement sealants and limit parking mandates. Lawmakers removed a section that would have scaled back local stormwater rules for redevelopment.
Many drivers in central North Carolina forget how to maneuver since they don't have to drive very often in frozen precipitation.
Learn what to do before you lose power and how to stay safe when your electricity goes out.
With more than 200 people dead -- 104 in North Carolina -- Hurricane Helene is the deadliest U.S. hurricane in decades.
"My office is hearing from dozens in WNC who have been kicked out of their hotels tonight, despite FEMA's announcement yesterday that they were extending Transitional Sheltering Assistance through January 25," Senator Ted Budd said on X Tuesday evening.
WRAL staff
