North Carolina News

A heartbreaking tragedy has struck a family in Western North Carolina who fled the war in Ukraine, only to be swept away by the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene. Loved ones told WRAL that two family members have been found dead, while two others remain unaccounted for. A photo shared with WRAL shows Anastasia and Dmytro Segen, and their 13-year-old son Yehveni. Another photo shows the grandmother, Tetyana Notvitnia. The family fled Ukraine in 2022, seeking…

Students in Buncombe County have been out of school for nearly three weeks due to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Tragically, the district has confirmed that four students lost their lives in the storm. Many families have relocated to the Triangle as recovery efforts begin in their hometowns. In Chapel Hill, several families displaced by Hurricane Helene are coming together to process their trauma while receiving therapy and support. Conversations at the Chapel Hill…

Back-to-back hurricanes that brought death and devastation to parts of the South were made worse by a wide range of false and misleading information, some of which still circulates even though they have been conclusively proven false. Coming in the closing weeks of a hard-fought presidential election, the false information became political fodder, particularly in swing states hit hard by Hurricane Helene and then Hurricane Milton. Former President Donald Trump has pushed a litany of…

Millions of people in the southeastern U.S. still are reeling from the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, but scientists warn that the Atlantic hurricane season is far from over. “As far as hurricane landfalls in the U.S., it’s been crazy busy,” said Jeff Masters, meteorologist for Yale Climate Connections. So far five hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S. — and the record is six. Masters said it’s possible that record will…

BAKERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina’s mountains, the constant din of a gas-powered generator is getting to be too much for Bobby Renfro. It’s difficult to hear the nurses, neighbors and volunteers flowing through the community resource hub he has set up in a former church for his neighbors in Tipton Hill, a crossroads in the Pisgah National Forest north…

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday helped pack diapers into boxes of personal care products destined for North Carolina hurricane victims, agreeing with one helper who said “it takes a village.” “You’re exactly right,” Harris replied to Greg Hatem, owner of The Pit Authentic Barbecue restaurant as she put two packages of diapers inside each cardboard box that was placed in front of her assembly-line style. Harris met with Black leaders…

WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) — Tony Brazzale, a diving boat captain who has lived for 10 years in his Wellington home in southeastern Florida, wasn’t worried about Hurricane Milton. The storm’s center was forecast to make landfall on the opposite side of the peninsula and then cross the state well to the north of his family. But on Wednesday afternoon as the hurricane began to pummel the state, he stood outside his house and watched as…

House after house in western North Carolina has been ripped out with insulation, and a life’s worth of belonging now forming mountains outside. Brad Ettestad is holding on to what he can. “We’re trying to salvage some of this,” he said as he cleaned out clothes and pictures from his home. Ettestad nearly lost everything in flooding from Helene. His story is one of many families experiencing the aftermath of Helene, which swept away towns,…

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from the Triangle are helping with Hurricane Helene relief efforts in western North Carolina. A group comprised of officers from the Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville, Wake Forest police departments and Wake County ABC is among them. The group is helping patrol the Biltmore Village. WRAL News on Friday drove with Holly Springs officers to show progress throughout Buncombe County. Piles of debris have slowly dwindled down, but it could…