Free Republic

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – A driver was rescued Saturday night after their vehicle ran off the road of Interstate 40 in Haywood County. According to the Junaluska Community Volunteer Fire Department, shortly after 8 p.m., officials received a notification that a vehicle had traveled off Interstate 40 Eastbound near mile marker 3.5 and then down an embankment. Several North Carolina emergency agencies responded to the scene. Crews found the vehicle lying on its passenger side almost 100 feet from the roadway according to firefighters. The driver was found inside the car. Troopers with the NC Highway Patrol were able...

BAT CAVE, North Carolina — Residents of a tiny North Carolina town that was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Helene have been fending for themselves after FEMA told them that a “Road Closed” sign is an insurmountable obstacle for the agency to navigate.

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...

Those who disobeyed the barricaded road closures during the Maui fires survived the disaster, while many of those who heeded orders to turn around perished in their cars and homes with no way out... At least 114 people were killed in the fires earlier this month, and the FBI is estimating that up to 1,100 more are unaccounted for. Officials are facing increased scrutiny for the emergency response, including why the emergency sirens were not set off and whether closing the roads prevented people from getting to safety. ... Officials closed Lahaina Bypass Road due to the fires, blocking the...