Turnout may be tempered in the upcoming election after Hurricane Florence impaired North Carolina’s infrastructure, displaced thousands of voters and distracted from political issues as candidates jockey for favor. The deadly storm arrived just as door-knocking, campaign advertisements and fundraising started to ramp up. At stake this year are a state Supreme Court seat, congressional seats, six proposed constitutional amendments and control of North Carolina’s legislature, along with municipal races. Republicans control the legislature, and…

The pews inside Trinity United Methodist Church had been bolted down since 1981, but volunteers were loading them four at a time onto flatbed trailers Tuesday afternoon. Multiple roads to the Conway church on Long Avenue were already impassable due to rising floodwaters as members prepared to spend their Sunday mornings elsewhere for at least a month. Omar Ortiz was among the dozens of church members lending a hand either moving furniture to higher ground…

With many of Florence’s victims landlocked by floodwaters in medium to small sized towns in Eastern North Carolina, the relief effort was thwarted on the ground. Instead, much of the relief effort took to the skies on Tuesday as the long-lasting storm finally left the state. At the private aviation terminal at RDU International, dozens of volunteers were joined by the owners of small planes from all across the country for Operation Airdrop. The non-profit,…

DURHAM, N.C. — On Tuesday ABC11 Together partnered with the Red Cross for the Hurricane Florence Relief Drive. Just before 7 a.m., $10,000 was donated. RELATED: Nutrien donates $100K to ABC11 Together’s Hurricane Florence Relief Drive Then, manager Ray McKeithan from Little Washington-based company Nutrien presented the Red Cross with $100,000 for relief efforts.And just after 4 p.m,. Monty Edge with Active Threat Solutions, LLC donated $20,000. Edge’s wife is volunteering in shelters as well….

Rick Dove took to the air to see what the storm had wrought. A longtime advocate for protecting North Carolina’s rivers from pollution, Dove looked down from a small plane on a submerged landscape stitched with swollen streams and rivers and engulfed by newly formed lakes and ponds. It was not a new scene for Dove, who is 79 and now the Neuse Riverkeeper emeritus and a senior adviser for the international Waterkeeper Alliance. He…

A day after a rough reopening of schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, more complaints have rolled in for Durham Public Schools and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. A letter was sent to DPS Superintendent Pascal Mubenga and the school board sharply criticizing the decision to have school Monday. The decision by CHCCS to have school Wednesday, which is Yom Kippur, prompted letters from religious leaders and a Carrboro alderwoman. Having school in Chapel…

Threatening weather and canceled football games used to be a rare combination. Not so much anymore. East Carolina’s game at Virginia Tech was one of six scheduled for Sept. 15 that was canceled or postponed due to Hurricane Florence. Others canceled include West Virginia’s game at N.C. State and Central Florida’s game at UNC. Two weeks earlier in the Midwest, Akron-Nebraska and South Dakota State-Iowa State were called off due to storms. The same weekend…

Verizon said Tuesday that it is not slowing down or degrading the wireless services of North Carolina residents who have been affected by Hurricane Florence, after a report surfaced accusing the company of “deprioritiz[ing]” mobile data plans. A hurricane victim identifying him- or herself as a Verizon customer posted to reddit Monday saying that it has been days since it has been possible to check Facebook or email from a mobile device in a small…

Coast Guard rescue swimmer investigates truck in dangerous flooding Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Jordon Shevlin, a rescue swimmer from Air Station Atlantic City, NJ., gets battered and buffeted to investigate a truck caught in dangerous flooding in the wake of Hurricane Florence, Sept. 16, 2018.

Sundays at Debbie Rion and Mark King’s home were tradition, routine, comfort. Mark cooked the meat – often in a smoker – and Debbie handled the sides. Mac ’n’ cheese was a staple. To-go boxes were stacked on kitchen counters because all the kids and grandkids were essentially required to leave the Loris home with food. “Momma always texted us, ‘Hey y’all coming for Sunday dinner?” their son, Justin King, said. Text messages usually had…

Worries about looting, theft, and break-ins prior to Hurricane Florence apparently were unfounded. Law enforcement agencies in the Pee Dee and along the coast say hardly any upswing in crime was detected in the hurricane’s aftermath. Mikayla Moskov of the Horry County Police Department, in one of the counties most directly by Florence and the most populated, said the situation is “fairly regular” there. The police department has not received a single confirmed report of…

Hurricane Florence has passed, but the damage it left behind is significant.On Tuesday, Chopper11 HD flew over the affected cities across North Carolina to provide an aerial view after Florence hit. Exclusive first look at Atlantic Beach after Hurricane Florence (Copyright ©2018 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.)