Due to the unprecedented flooding from Hurricane Helene in September 2024, four school buildings in western North Carolina flooded so severely that students were unable to immediately return to school.

Gov. Stein is commemorating the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene on Friday morning with a press conference along I-40 at the Pigeon River Gorge with NCDOT officials. His office says 96% of water systems are back online, nearly all state-maintained roads are open, and all 13 affected state parks have at least partially reopened. Last week, the National Park Service reopened the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville to Mount Mitchell.

It’s been a year since Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina and destroyed communities. Although most of the focus has been on devastated places in the mountains, the hurricane also severely impacted parts of Gaston County — a place where people are now trying to get their lives back on track after the storm. Helene impacted residents in Gaston County, but it also spotlighted the county's business and local emergency departments' efforts to respond to a natural disaster.

This weekend marks one year since Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina. The wind, mudslides and massive flooding caused billions of dollars in damage, and Helene is blamed for 108 deaths in the state. The mountains still have a long road of recovery ahead. To see how one part of the region is faring a year on, WFAE’s Marshall Terry reached out to Zeb Smathers. He is mayor of the town of Canton, about 20 miles west of Asheville along I-40.

In a new three-part series about chronic absenteeism in the region, WFDD’s Amy Diaz explores how schools are addressing the barriers that prevent students from coming to class, starting with a focus on mental health.

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.

Over the last several decades, areas of North Carolina became news deserts where finding local news was difficult, if not impossible. Mostly, that happened in rural areas. During disasters, a lack of news can result in the spread of misinformation, making it harder to get help and increase distrust of those who really do help.

When Darlene Kurkendall closes her eyes, she imagines the walls of her house falling away. She sees the people in her community — friends, neighbors, family — swept out of sight by a horrendous heap of moving earth.

Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene destroyed Lake Lure’s beloved Flowering Bridge, the structure is set to be rebuilt with more than $2.5 million in federal funds. Republican Congressman Tim Moore says the FEMA grant will cover 90% of the cost to replace the 1925 stone arch bridge, which volunteers had transformed into a public garden. The landmark was declared damaged beyond repair after the storm, and demolition began last month.

The rivers and streams of western North Carolina are still recovering from Hurricane Helene almost a year later. Contractors have pulverized those streams with heavy equipment to remove storm debris — causing a second ecological disaster in the storm’s wake.

When Hurricane Helene flooded western North Carolina, nonprofits scrambled to help until more permanent relief could arrive. This “disaster rodeo” follows in the wake of catastrophes, providing essential services such as water, electricity and communications. Many of those groups gathered recently near Asheville to revisit the community they helped 10 months ago.

Officials from the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina and N.C. Emergency Management were speaking in front of a legislative hurricane recovery committee.

After Hurricane Helene hit last year, resource hubs popped up around western North Carolina to receive and distribute supplies. Many closed as donations slowed. But in Clyde, Camp Restore Hope is going strong. For now.

Climate change is increasing the risk of dangerous floods. But people often balk at the cost of flood insurance, especially since many doubt they need protection.

Senate Republicans have argued that giving direct aid to small businesses would violate the state constitution.

In North Carolina, Trump's "big, beautiful bill" is likely to have a big impact on everything from Medicaid expansion and food stamps to the 2026 Senate election and state politics. NC Newsroom's Adam Wagner joined WFAE's Marshall Terry to discuss.

Hurricane Helene caused at least 57 landslides along the Parkway, damaging not only the roadway but also visitor centers, campgrounds, trails and more.

The Veterans Restoration Quarters housed around 160 veterans before Hurricane Helene flooded the property.

Every year, millions of Americans rely on FEMA assistance after hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and other disasters. The president says state governments should do more.

Nine months after Helene, western North Carolina is bracing for another hurricane season. Residents are speaking out about the dangers of climate change-fueled severe weather in the face of recent federal regulation rollbacks.