Charlotte North Carolina News

The NC General Assembly Tuesday passed two bills in special session to provide relief from Hurricane Florence. It was a rare example of both parties working together.  “I think it’s an opportunity that reminds us that we’re not Republicans or Democrats or anything. We’re all human beings and we’re all people and we owe a duty to each other to take care of one another,” said House Speaker Tim Moore. One bill matches $50 million…

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The number of deaths in North Carolina from Hurricane Florence has risen by two, bringing the state’s total to 39. Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced in a statement Tuesday that the two fatalities involved people killed during storm cleanup last month. The governor’s office says a 47-year-old man was found dead outside a Duplin County home on Sept. 21 due to a head injury he received after falling from a ladder while…

Multiple World War II armor-piercing projectiles, bullets and piles of shrapnel were found lodged in the sand at North Carolina’s Topsail Island over the weekend, according to a Facebook post by a member of the North Topsail Fire Department. Firefighter Bradley Thomas Dixon told the Charlotte Observer he made the discoveries with a metal detector, while searching for items that may have been exposed by Hurricane Florence. The weaponry has been examined by an explosives…

CHARLOTTE, NC (FOX 46 WJZY/AP) – The first of several anticipated attempts by legislators to address the damage and displacement Hurricane Florence caused in North Carolina begins two weeks after the storm’s rains finally left the state. The General Assembly is reconvening Tuesday for a special session called by Gov. Roy Cooper. The legislature is expected to pass laws focusing on immediate needs of affected residents and school districts, some of which still haven’t re-opened…

The historic Cape Lookout Lighthouse stopped operating after being damaged when Hurricane Florence hit the Outer Banks on Sept. 14, says the Cape Lookout National Seashore. On Friday, the National Park Service intends to reopen it to the public for three days, in a symbolic move “to celebrate the progress towards recovery from Hurricane Florence.” Climbers will be allowed inside Oct. 5 through 8 at no cost, officials said in a press release. The lighthouse…

The ballots for North Carolina’s upcoming election have had a number of delays as cases on amendments and party affiliation wound their way through the court. Just as ballots were finally on track to meet September’s deadline for printing, Hurricane Florence came along. Now state leaders are trying to ensure those hit hard by the storm can still easily vote.   The state’s deadline to register to vote is coming up on Oct. 12. While many…

North Carolina has suddenly become a hot spot for some of the largest mosquitoes in the country — known as “mega mosquitoes” — due to the rancid puddles left behind by Hurricane Florence. USA Today called it an “outbreak” and described them as “blood-thirsty,” “aggressive” and “monstrous pests.” The species, called Gallinippers, can grow 20 times larger than more common mosquitoes and have a sting that is painful enough to feel like you’ve been stabbed,…

A battlefield dedicated to the first Patriot victory of the American Revolution remains flooded and indefinitely closed two weeks after Hurricane Florence made landfall, according to the National Park Service. Moores Creek National Battlefield in North Carolina was under 10 feet of water at the height of the storm and “much of the park remains flooded,” said a National Park Service update released Thursday. Among photos posted by the park service on Facebook is one…

Katelen Harvey and Roy Gregg thought they had escaped the destruction of former Hurricane Florence unscathed, when a falling tree crashed through the roof of the modest, brick house they were renting in east Charlotte. While the couple and their 22-month-old daughter were not hurt, the storm has left them homeless. Thousands of homes and structures were damaged during the storm, according to the American Red Cross, leaving many without permanent housing. More than 1,900…

The U.S. flag that gained national attention as it was ripped to shreds on a live cam during Hurricane Florence is up for auction today and bids are already in the thousands. Images of the flag refusing to surrender to the storm’s wind gusts came to represent “who we are as America,” owner Richard Neal told McClatchy reporter Matt Martinez as Hurricane Florence approached the coast. Neal, a Charlottean, owns the Frying Pan Tower light…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Atlantic’s warmer waters triggered the unusual number of major hurricanes last year, according to a new study that predicts the region could see a couple of extra whopper storms each year by the end of the century. Six major hurricanes — with winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph) — spun around the Atlantic last year, including Harvey, Irma and Maria which hit parts of the United States and the…

This family is homeless after Florence destroyed their home. Here’s how they are surviving. Sep 27, 2018 The remnants of Hurricane Florence pushed a tree on Katelen Harvey’s home driving her family out. They’ve struggled to find affordable housing. By

The calm skies after Florence did not last long. Much of the Carolinas was forecast to see severe weather Thursday, with “lines and clusters of thunderstorms this afternoon across the foothills and Piedmont of the Carolinas and northeast Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service. The nasty weather materialized in the form of a tornado, which was spotted in Anderson County, SC, WeatherNation reported in a tweet that was shared by the NWS. A hazardous…