Blue Ridge Public Radio's continuing coverage of Hurricane Helene's impact
Hurricane Helene devastated much of western North Carolina in 2024, but the story didn't end there. The tail of that storm's impact is entering its second year. Blue Ridge Public Radio's news team has followed every stage of the recovery. This includes the milestones that signify a region in repair, like when first freight train came into Asheville seven months after the storm. It includes the ongoing need for road repairs; the loss of tourism dollars; the frustrations with the federal government for not fulfilling its promises; and the moments that prove that, even in the worst of times, joy can happen.
This audio compilation represents just some of the reporting BPR did on Hurricane Helene recovery. It is pulled from the following stories:
- Post-Helene housing crunch likely to increase costs for WNC workers, experts say
- Living in limbo: Thousands of WNC Helene survivors face years of transient living
- Deeply concerned.' Federal Helene recovery funds not enough, NC official says
- Surge of recovery workers gives Buncombe hotels best-ever January for occupancy
- Asheville releases draft proposal for $225 million in Helene recovery fundsPost-water crisis, Asheville water system still faces billing issues and other needs
- Stein honors 106 victims of Helene on anniversary, says WNC wildfires are 'double whammy'
- Today's the deadline for FEMA/Western North Carolina Helene disaster aid applications
- Believing in tomorrow.' Swannanoa's new tulip garden grows hope after Helene
- In ‘huge milestone,’ first freight train rolls into Asheville after Hurricane Helene
- 'A milestone.' Final community care station closes in Buncombe County
- Marshall reopens with Magic Days festival
- Grand Bohemian Lodge, a Biltmore Village landmark, reopens after Hurricane Helene
- 'A transformational opportunity.' HUD approves Asheville's $225M recovery plan
- A year after Helene, river guides in Appalachia are navigating a new world
- Repairing the Blue Ridge Parkway: 50 more miles to reopen by fall 2025
- WNC artists celebrate the release of an album recorded in the muck of Hurricane Helene
- Stein kicks off week-long trip to encourage post-Helene tourism to Western North Carolina
- The state froze millions in legal aid funds. Now, Helene victims could feel the pinch.
- Flood sirens in WNC could be crucial for safety. Not everyone is convinced.
- ‘I live here, I’ll die here:’ Bat Cave residents dig their heels in for a long road to recovery
- What Helene taught us about deadly landslides
- ‘A great callousness’: The struggles of Asheville’s service industry post-Helene
- Are the kids alright? Mental health problems spike for students post-Helene
- Ingles one step closer to rebuilding Swannanoa location
- How Helene changed our love lives — for better and for worse
- ‘We’re stuck and we’re scared’: Asheville’s beleaguered renters grapple with mold
- On rural stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway, businesses fear losing another tourist season
- Return of the leaf peepers: WNC’s tourism industry sees signs of hope post-Helene
- ‘Physically taxing’ and ‘emotional.’ MountainTrue crews tackle the long-term work of debris cleanup in WNC
- For Helene survivors, a stalled federal buyout program could spell financial trouble
- Some WNC communities are still grappling with Helene-related road closures. It’s not an easy wait.