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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is collecting cold-weather items for survivors of Tropical Storm Helene, as temperatures are expected to dip into the 30s in the coming weeks. The department is asking for donations such as coats, blankets, gloves or mittens, and hand warmers. Donations can be dropped off at several locations across the area, including 1298 Patton Avenue in West Asheville, the Presbyterian Church at 2215 Hendersonville Road in Asheville, and Harrah’s Cherokee Center at 87 Haywood Street, where items can be dropped at the front door between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. Another drop-off...

Jonathan Howard and Charlie Keebaugh are members of Aerial Recovery, a nonprofit organization focused on disaster response and humanitarian aid, particularly in areas affected by natural disasters and crises. They specialize in using aerial technology, such as drones and helicopters, to assess damage, deliver supplies, and support recovery efforts. The organization often collaborates with local communities, governments, and other NGOs to provide assistance and facilitate recovery. Their work includes search and rescue operations, medical supply deliveries, and providing essential resources like food and clean water. By leveraging innovative technologies and a network of trained veteran volunteers, Aerial Recovery Group aims...

All Hurricane Helene-damaged counties will be ready to accept in-person voters when early voting starts statewide on Oct. 17. Nearly all the early voting sites that elections officials in those western North Carolina counties had planned to open can still be used, state Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell told reporters Thursday. Of the 80 locations originally planned in those counties, 75 will open. “This is absolutely outstanding that our county boards of elections have pulled this off in western North Carolina given the devastation and destruction left by Helene,” she said. State elections officials talked to reporters the day after...

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A day after the North Carolina National Guard said it was investigating after a video went viral on social media that showed a Black Hawk helicopter's rotor wash blowing away relief supplies in western North Carolina, an official elaborated at a briefing led by Gov. Roy Cooper. Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, the adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, (NCNG) responded after a reporter's question on Tuesday afternoon. "That was a North Carolina National Guard helicopter, it's under our command and I'll take responsibility for it, and we own it," Hunt said. "What this situation...

JACKSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — When Helene hit the mountains of WNC, it was evident many would need relief supplies quickly. However, as many roads were destroyed, a fleet of volunteer pilots took to the skies, flying them into the Jackson County Airport. The airport sits atop the mountains at over 2,800 feet; of late, there's been heightened activity. "In 11 days, we've had 33% of what we would have in a whole year," said airport manager Jim Rowell. Shortly after Helene hit, he and organizer Crystal Cochran coordinated the arrival of hundreds of private volunteer pilots, who flew in...

A group of volunteer helicopter pilots is helping get aid to some of the most remote storm victims in North Carolina.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The North Carolina National Guard says a Black Hawk helicopter crew was grounded after an incident in which they flew low over a Hurricane Helene donation and supply area, blowing over three tents and scattering items in the air.

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A message from the Sheriff Wright and Sheriff Ellenburg in North Carolina regarding FEMA and the aftermath Hurricane Helen- we spent the day in Chimney Rock and Lake Lure and the devastation is unbelievable- but the people of NC have pulled together - truly amazing mountain people.

(The Center Square) – With just 10 days until in-person early voting begins in North Carolina, the State Board of Election voted unanimously to pass a resolution to assist with voting in the 13 most hard-hit counties. Since Hurricane Helene first came ashore on Sept. 26, more than 230 lives have been lost across six different Southeastern states, with many still remaining missing. Damage estimates from the storm is in the tens of billions according to multiple analyses, with counties in western North Carolina being particularly devastated. “This is an unprecedented amount of damage and destruction that’s been caused by...

SWANNANOA, North Carolina — Hundreds of special operations personnel in North Carolina have formed their own homegrown rescue and supply operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene after they grew tired of waiting for the federal government to get its act together. The Post found an all-volunteer operation being run out of a Harley-Davidson dealership with ruthless efficiency and military precision. “Who’s FEMA?” ex-Green Beret Adam Smith derisively responded when asked about the agency’s presence on the ground since the deadly storm ravaged the rural western part of the state. “This disaster has definitively proven without a shadow of a...

uring a CNN interview on Sunday afternoon, volunteer pilots and relief organizers criticized the federal government's response to Hurricane Helene, saying there's "still no FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency], still no military" in North Carolina, which was ravaged by the storm late last month. Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida's Big Bend region on September 26 as a Category 4 hurricane and then tore through the Southeast region of the United States. It hit parts of Western North Carolina particularly hard, washing away roads, destroying homes, and leaving millions without power. According to the Associated Press, 227 people have died...

BAT CAVE, North Carolina — Residents of a tiny North Carolina town that was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Helene fending for themselves after FEMA told them that a “road closed” sign is an insurmountable obstacle for the agency to navigate. “FEMA called me and told me they wanted to inspect my house then called me back to say they couldn’t drive around the ‘road closed’ sign. They weren’t allowed,” local Chelsea Atkins, 38, told The Post. “You can drive it by car for sure, it’s not that bad, you just have to drive around the ‘road closed sign’. I...

Users on social media took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris after the Democratic nominee took to X to pledge millions of dollars in aid for Lebanon at the same time residents of North Carolina struggle to recover from Hurricane Helene. "This has to be fake. Even Kamala Harris, the gold standard of stupid, isn’t stupid enough to post this," actor James Woods said on X Saturday. "Certainly not while North Carolinians are pulling the bodies of their neighbors from the wreckage. It’s simply inconceivable." The post came in response to Harris pledging Saturday to send $157 million of "additional...

Kamala Harris doesn’t just want to build more factories in the US if elected president. She also wants to help secure steady supplies of materials to fuel them. A recent promise that embodies this approach is her proposed establishment of a "national reserve" of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel — the crucial building blocks in everything from electric vehicle batteries to jet engines to medical devices.

I think a lot of people won't know what conspiracy I'm speaking of but it went viral so I had to ask questions to clear the air. It was starting to cause anger and confusion about what was REALLY happening in Chimney Rock. I was embarrassed to even ask the workers there but I did. Our focus shouldn't be on taking viral conspiracies as FACT but focusing that energy on helping the people of this region. I did 10 miles on foot this day to get to Chimney Rock. It wasn't easy. Anyway, resources below:

Whistleblowers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency have come forward in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to accuse the agency of misappropriating funds and generally mismanaging its responsibilities. This is according to a letter sent by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department includes FEMA. FEMA has come under fire for its response to Hurricane Helene, which ravaged North Carolina, Georgia, and other states and left over 200 dead.

Hospitals across the U.S. are taking steps to conserve their supplies of IV fluids after Hurricane Helene struck a critical manufacturing plant belonging to the country’s biggest supplier. Baxter International, a medical technology company responsible for making IV fluids for most U.S. hospitals, said Sunday that it would temporarily close production at its North Cove, North Carolina-based facility because of flooding from Helene, raising concerns about a potential nationwide shortage. [snip] There are four primary manufacturers of IV fluids in the U.S. Baxter is the leader, accounting for about 60% of the market. The company is the main supplier for...

What to know At least 215 people have died and hundreds are still unaccounted for in the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene since it made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26. More than a week later, some residents and communities remain isolated, hundreds of thousands are without power, and spotty service has made communication difficult. As people dig out of the muck and survey the damage to their homes and cities, stories of heroic rescues and devastating losses are coming to light. If you would like to help donate to survivors of Helene, several organizations, including the Red Cross and...

Residents in North Carolina are frustrated with the federal government’s response in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which has already taken the lives of more than 220 people. Helene, the deadliest mainland hurricane since Hurricane Katrina, hit the people of North Carolina particularly hard. Large portions of Asheville, Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, and Biltmore Village were wiped out by flooding, and the western part of state is struggling with limited power, internet, and cell service, and water systems have been destroyed. Suffering residents say the federal government has offered little help and has been far too slow to respond. For example,...