Helene

A new report from Mountain BizWorks sheds light on the WNC Strong: Helene Business Recovery Fund. It was created days after Hurricane Helene to provide rapid recovery loans to small businesses suffering economic losses due to the impacts of the storm.

The grants, which were previously canceled by FEMA, support more than 60 infrastructure projects across the state.

After environmental groups sued, the Forest Service paused logging — for now

There are signs of mold all over the Evergreen Ridge Apartments in East Asheville. In one old utility hallway in building D, the walls are crumbling and black in places, pipes are bent. In the main lobby, the ceiling buckles under the weight of water damage. An overpowering musty smell permeates the halls, creeping into tenant apartments.

The system, which costs around $6 million per month, will be decommissioned after the end of hurricane season.

A year after Helene, students are wrestling with heightened mental health challenges, from anxiety and depression to an uptick in sleep issues and “externalizing behaviors” like aggression and substance use.

Haywood County offered many more services in Spanish for its Latino community during Helene than it had in past emergencies. The community’s experience demonstrates the challenges counties have in meeting the needs of all their constituents.

One year after Helene, Asheville’s service industry contends with weaker tourism, fewer jobs and lingering storm trauma, all while trying to keep a happy face for customers.

Blue Ridge Public Radio is collaborating with AP, Honolulu Civil Beat, CalMatters, and Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico to examine how school communities are recovering from the disruption of natural disasters.

Emergency officials struggled to warn people about the danger of Hurricane Helene – moving ahead, they’re split on how to best keep people safe during future floods.