Avery County in North Carolina suffered a setback over the weekend when rain washed away a dozen foot bridges that provided access to emergency services.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Western North Carolina, the home of current Utah State University student Hannah Feinsilber.

In recent months, Hurricane Helene and the historic flooding it unleashed on western North Carolina have dominated housing headlines. The Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) estimates damages and needs totaling $59.

The deadline extension also applies to Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), available through March 29, 2025, for those who lost work due to Helene. Claims can be filed by clicking here or by calling 888-737-0258.

The N.C. Department of Emergency Management announced Monday that at the request of Gov. Roy Cooper, the deadline has been moved to Feb. 6, 2025. Homeowners and renters in 39 counties, mostly in western North Carolina and including Mecklenburg, with uninsured losses from Helene may be eligible to apply for FEMA assistance.

Say what you want about the Amish but they can get things done. The saga of hurricane recovery in western North Caroline seems to be dragging on as slowly as you’d expect. While reports of zero federal government assistance to the area are at times drastically overstated,

Western North Carolina suffered another setback after Hurricane Helene battered the region and left many residents dead in September. Over the weekend, minor flooding and rain destroyed roughly 20 makeshift roads and bridges erected as temporary solutions in Boone and Newland after Helene wiped out whole infrastructural systems,