Tag Archives: Hurricane

On North Carolina’s rivers and streams, the cleanup of Helene’s fury seems never-ending

On North Carolina’s rivers and streams, the cleanup of Helene’s fury seems never-ending

WOODFIN, N.C. (AP) — It’s been only a year since Hurricane Helene hammered the southeast U.S. from Florida to the Carolinas. Some of the heaviest damage came from flooding in the North Carolina mountains, where some 30 inches of rain turned gentle streams into walls of water that swept away anything in their path. The worst wreckage has been cleared away, but cleanup crews are still at work plucking smaller debris from waterways throughout the region. In the understandable haste to rescue people and restore their lives to some semblance of normalcy, some fear the recovery efforts compounded Helene’s impact on the ecosystem. Contractors hired to remove vehicles, shipping containers, shattered houses and other large debris from waterways sometimes damaged sensitive habitat.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina a year ago. Some students never returned to school

Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina a year ago. Some students never returned to school

SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — Thousands of students across western North Carolina lost their homes a year ago when Helene hit with some of the most vicious floods, landslides and wind ever seen in the mountainous region. Helene damaged more than 73,000 homes. The homeless student population surged, doubling in some places and even increasing fourfold in one county. Across the state, more than 2,500 students were identified as homeless as a direct result of Helene, according to state data obtained by The Associated Press. Storm debris has mostly been cleared away in some places, but the impact of the displacement lingers for students.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin leaves rough seas with 2 swimmers dead and a search underway for a missing boater

Hurricane Erin leaves rough seas with 2 swimmers dead and a search underway for a missing boater

SALISBURY, Mass. (AP) — Hurricane Erin never made landfall, but it left behind rough ocean conditions along the U.S. East Coast. At least two people have died, a 17-year-old boy in New Hampshire and a 59-year-old man in New York, after they went swimming in heavy current. A search continued Monday for a man who was missing after his boat capsized off of Salisbury Beach in Massachusetts on Saturday. The teen was pulled away by a strong ocean current off of Hampton Beach. The man was swimming at Sailors Haven in the Fire Island National Seashore. Forecasters say there are no coastal watches or warnings for newly formed Tropical Storm Juliette in the Pacific Ocean and Tropical Storm Fernand in the Atlantic.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin still stirring up dangerous waves while it moves away from the East Coast

Hurricane Erin still stirring up dangerous waves while it moves away from the East Coast

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin has battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes. The unusually large hurricane slowly began to move away from the East Coast on Thursday. Erin is not forecast to make landfall. Forecasters say it will slowly weaken over the next few days while turning farther out to sea. The menacing waves have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York City on Thursday. Along the North Carolina shoreline, the storm breached sand dunes on Hatteras Island and damaged one waterfront motel. Parts of the main route linking the Outer Banks remain closed.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin picking up steam as it edges along the East Coast

Hurricane Erin picking up steam as it edges along the East Coast

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin is strengthening again and forecasters say it could re-intensify into a major hurricane. The storm is creeping toward the mid-Atlantic coast and churning up menacing waves that have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York City. It’s expected to peak over the next 48 hours. Erin is unlikely to make landfall along the East Coast before turning farther out to sea. But authorities are warning that its large swells will cut off roads on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and whip up life-threatening rip currents from Florida to New England. The National Hurricane Center is watching two more clusters of storms to the east of Erin.… Continue Reading

NC Governor warns coast folks ‘to take care’ as Hurricane Erin forces evacuations and beach closings

NC Governor warns coast folks ‘to take care’ as Hurricane Erin forces evacuations and beach closings

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin is strengthening again and forecasters say it could re-intensify into a major hurricane. The storm is creeping toward the mid-Atlantic coast and churning up menacing waves that have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York City. It’s expected to peak over the next 48 hours. Erin is unlikely to make landfall along the East Coast before turning farther out to sea. But authorities are warning that its large swells will cut off roads on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and whip up life-threatening rip currents from Florida to New England. The National Hurricane Center is watching two more clusters of storms to the east of Erin.… Continue Reading

Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin

Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy some of the last hurrahs of summer along the East Coast have been met with rip-current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inches closer. Forecasters expect the center of the monster storm to remain far offshore. But the outer edges are likely to bring high winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents. The biggest swells along the East Coast could come as early as Wednesday. Authorities are prohibiting people from swimming in beaches in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Delaware.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin forecast to create dangerous surf, winds along North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Hurricane Erin forecast to create dangerous surf, winds along North Carolina’s Outer Banks

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Erin is pelting parts of the Caribbean and is forecast to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast this week. Forecasters are confident that Erin will turn northeast and away from the eastern U.S. But the National Hurricane Center in Miami says Erin is still expected to churn up dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Evacuations are being ordered on a few islands along the Outer Banks even though the storm is unlikely to make direct landfall. The storm intensified again to a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds Monday.… Continue Reading

Parts of the Appalachian Trail are still damaged after Helene. Volunteers are fixing it by hand

Parts of the Appalachian Trail are still damaged after Helene. Volunteers are fixing it by hand

UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (AP) — Volunteers are still rebuilding parts of the iconic Appalachian Trail in eastern Tennessee nearly a year after Hurricane Helene devastated the region. Two damaged spots along the trail require hikers to take detours. A group of volunteers and staffers with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and local groups worked on repairs at a spot on the trail near the destroyed Cherry Gap Shelter in mid-July. Volunteers say their priority is fixing root ball holes in the ground caused by fallen trees. The work is intensive and slow. But the group hopes it can improve the trail’s resiliency against future severe weather.… Continue Reading

Flooding from Chantal’s remnants forces dozens to flee homes in North Carolina

Flooding from Chantal’s remnants forces dozens to flee homes in North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina say heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal forced dozens of people to flee their homes. The Chapel Hill Fire Department and neighboring agencies completed more than 50 water rescues, many of them in areas where floodwaters entered or threatened to enter apartments. Chapel Hill officials said Monday that more than 60 people were displaced Sunday and Monday. In Orange County, the possibility of the failure of the Lake Michael Dam prompted officials to issue a voluntary evacuation for areas downstream. In Chatham County, Sheriff Mike Roberson warned residents that water may have subsided in some areas, but it was still dangerous to travel. He says officials were searching for some missing persons.… Continue Reading

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