Raleigh North Carolina News

LOS ANGELES — In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael in Florida, the Walt Disney Company is donating $1 million toward relief efforts. The company will also match donations made by employees to eligible relief and recovery organizations helping in Florida. RELATED: Mexico City, Florida officials combing town for people who rode out Hurricane Michael Michael barreled into the Florida Panhandle last week as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds that…

MEXICO BEACH, Florida — Four days removed after Hurricane Michael pulverized the Florida Panhandle, officials in Mexico Beach, which was one of the communities hit the hardest, told ABC News 46 people remain unaccounted for. Nearly 300 people, including 10 children, rode out the storm when it made landfall in the middle of last week, according to the town’s city clerk and mayor. There has been only one reported fatality in Mexico Beach from Hurricane…

For a Southern state regularly exposed to hurricanes, call it an election Florence-style. In 2016, North Carolina voters cast their ballots just four weeks after Hurricane Matthew unleashed devastating floodwaters on the state’s eastern half. This fall, they’re voting about seven weeks after Hurricane Florence sent rivers wildly bursting their banks. That leaves North Carolina lawmakers quickly adjusting rules for voter registration, the state elections board struggling to track down storm-displaced voters, and activists complaining…

Sebastian Aho scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes over the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Saturday night. Justin Williams tied it for Carolina with 1:09 left in the third period, and the Hurricanes matched the best five-game start in franchise history by tying the 4-0-1 Hartford Whalers in 1995-96. Aho added an assist while running his point streak to five games. Jordan Staal and Brett Pesce also scored…

Legislative leaders on Saturday announced an agreement to set aside nearly $800 million in new funding for Hurricane Florence recovery efforts. The commitment reflects uncommonly fast cooperation among the Republican-controlled legislature and the Democratic governor. Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday proposed spending $750 million immediately and $1.5 billion over several years, focused primarily on housing, agriculture and businesses. The new commitment by General Assembly leaders is on top of $50 million lawmakers approved earlier this…

Drivers who live in nearly one-third of North Carolina counties can get free duplicate licenses, IDs and registration cards through the end of the year. Those are among several breaks included in an executive order signed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday, intended to help residents of disaster areas in southeastern North Carolina after Hurricane Florence, said a press release from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. The area includes Wilmington, Fayetteville and Greenville and…

They’ve been described as 100- or even 500-year storms, to indicate that they’re not supposed to happen more than once in a lifetime. And yet hurricanes Floyd, Matthew and now Florence all brought once inconceivable flooding to Eastern North Carolina three times in less than 20 years. And it would be smart to assume it will happen again as we rebuild and build new roads, bridges, water systems, sewage treatment plants and other infrastructure, according…

Hurricane Michael has come and gone, but for many in its destructive path, life will never be the same. The storm has been blamed for at least 17 deaths as of Saturday morning, but FEMA officials warn that the death toll may climb. Here is what we know so far about those who were killed. FLORIDA Some victims have not yet been identified. Among them are four people in Gadsden County, Florida. A sheriff’s office…

MEXICO BEACH, Fla. — New satellite imagery shows the extent of Hurricane Michael’s destructive power in several areas of the Florida Panhandle. The before and after photos provided by DigitalGlobe show parts of Mexico Beach laid to waste. Michael, then a Category 4 storm, blew ashore there on Wednesday with devastating 155 mph winds and nearly 10 feet of storm surge, leaving entire blocks of homes reduced to nothing but concrete slabs in the sand…

Police say torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 11 children at a devastated school. Local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji said a river overflowed in North Sumatra’s Mandailing Natal district and swept away 20 children studying late Friday at an Islamic school. He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from water and mud and were still searching for the other children. A video showed…

While most residents of Mexico Beach, Florida, fled ahead of Hurricane Michael’s arrival, others stayed to face the hurricane. They barely escaped as homes were smashed from their foundations, neighborhoods got submerged, and broken boards, sheet metal and other debris flew through the air. On Friday, some walked amid the destruction searching for loved ones and telling harrowing tales of how they survived. Tom Garcia fought to keep the sliding doors of his beachfront home…

By Ken Smith, WRAL anchor/reporter Wake County, N.C. — At a time when North Carolina has experienced the worst of times with two hurricanes in a little more than a month, the State Fair can be an example of the best of times. For some vendors, this annual fall classic is taking on a deeper purpose this year. They’re helping those directly impacted by Hurricanes Florence and Michael by donating proceeds from their profits to…

The Latest on the aftermath of Hurricane Michael (all times local): 10 p.m. The Internal Revenue Service says victims of Hurricane Michael will get a grace period before having to file some tax returns and payments. The IRS said Friday it’s offering the relief in parts of Florida and other regions that may be added later to the disaster area as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Individuals who had a valid extension to…

Forecasters expect Hurricane Leslie to bring heavy rains and dangerous winds and surf to parts of Portugal and Spain. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Friday night that the Category 1 storm was about 795 miles (1,280 kilometers) southwest of Lisbon, Portugal. Leslie is moving northeast at 35 mph (55 kph) and it has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph). The storm is expected to pass north of Madeira Island and then…

Chapel Hill, N.C. — The University of North Carolina men’s basketball program and head coach Roy Williams donated $23,400 to Hurricane Florence relief efforts Friday evening at Late Night with Roy!, the team’s annual celebration to the start of the college basketball season. Carolina donated $100 for each of 117 made baskets over a four-minute, 15-second shooting drill during Late Night. The Tar Heels are donating $11,700 in proceeds from the team’s sale of autographed…