When Hurricane Helene roared through Western North Carolina last fall, the storm ravaged and decimated several small mountain towns. One of the most devastated communities was Marshall (population 777) in the rural landscape of Madison County. 

After Hurricane Helene completed its devastating march from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Smoky Mountains, the struggles of disaster survivors — from environmental devastation and bureaucratic hurdles to inadequate recovery support — have exposed a broken cycle of aid and accountability, where truth and trust become enveloped in a murky ethical mist that consists, at least partially, of exploitative promises made worse by false premises and finger-pointing.

Gov. Josh Stein has made it clear that he intends on prioritizing Hurricane Helene relief in Western North Carolina. 

Shortly after being sworn in on Jan. 1, Stein issued six executive orders meant to expedite aid to the still-devastated region where some have complained about a slow response, especially when it comes to housing amid frigid temperatures. 

Sunny sea-level Savannah, Georgia, is known for a lot of things — historic colonial beauty, low country cuisine and a wide-open bar culture that benefits from/endures one of the nation’s few open container laws — but it also has a rich musical legacy that locals are now using to help victims of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. 

At the request of Gov. Josh Stein, FEMA has granted North Carolina an extension for local governments and certain types of non-profits to apply for public assistance until Feb. 6, 2025. 

With about 280 projects approved across the state, the new year will bring visible on-the-ground progress in the effort to reduce flooding in North Carolina communities.

When Tropical Storm Fred cut a half billion-dollar swath of destruction through the eastern part of Haywood County and killed six people in 2021, the tragedy gave residents a chance to come together across political, racial and socioeconomic lines as never before. But it also had another hidden upside, revealed this past September. 

After Hurricane Helene rocked the eastern reaches of Western North Carolina, Crystal Cochran sprang into action.

A resident of Sylva, mother and Gold Star military wife, Cochran jumped at the opportunity to aid in efforts by Operation Airdrop to get supplies into Western North Carolina and distributed to the hardest hit areas in the region. 

Hurricane Helene victims in Western North Carolina have eagerly been awaiting an expected holiday gift in the form of federal aid since the Sept. 27 storm pounded the region, but after nearly three months of wholly insufficient action in the General Assembly and a last-minute House vote in Washington, the only gift under the Christmas tree this year was pink bunny pajamas. 

You sure as heck can pack a lot into 365 days, especially when it comes to the immensely vibrant arts and culture scenes right here in our backyard of Western North Carolina.