North Carolina

Fairfield residents turn RV's into homes for North Carolina Helene victims

Published

1 month ago

November 7, 2024

Fairfield residents turn RV's into homes for North Carolina Helene victims

FAIRFIELD, Va. (WDBJ) – It’s been over a month since Hurricane Helene and communities in North Carolina are still working to recover.

But here in our hometowns, people are still stepping up to lend a hand, and those in Fairfield are lending a home.

A group in Fairfield is packing campers full of everything a family might need to become the new home for those who lost everything in Hurricane Helene.

Home has always been where you have a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in. But in Lake Lure, N.C., that no longer exists for many residents.

Bonnie Wilmer has seen it herself.

“I believe Lake Lure alone had 60 families that’s in tents,” said Wilmer. “They don’t have anything right now except sleeping bag in the ground.”

So she and a few friends are creating homes and sending them down to those people.

“[My friend] said she was going to purchase campers and some of them would need to be cleaned, I said bring them to my house, my friends will come help,” said Wilmer.

For the past week, people have been donating campers to Wilmer. Someone came all the way from Ohio to drop one off.

She and her crew clean them up and pack them with the basic necessities that have also been donated and other items to make it feel like a home.

“They have a new grill here, charcoal grill, new toaster, new dishes, new brooms, mops, new sheets for their bed, new bed pillows, and all the toiletries and anything that they would need [and] stocked it with some food,” said Wilmer, walking through the camper.

So far, three campers have been sent down to Lake Lure.

“They’re very, very grateful,” said Wilmer, recalling the reaction of the North Carolina residents. “I know they said one little girl was so excited to have a home. And these people are in tents, and it’s getting a little too cold for that.”

And two more families will have homes delivered Friday.

“We’ll just keep on going, as long as we continue to get money to pay for them,” said Wilmer.

Wilmer said she and her group are always accepting donations. They are collecting everything from food to hygiene products, mattresses and clothing. Monetary donations will go toward buying more campers to fill.

The best way to help out is through Wilmer’s Facebook. You can find her page here.

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North Carolina

Arkansas overwhelms North Carolina A&T in Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

7 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Arkansas overwhelms North Carolina A&T in Fayetteville | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

FAYETTEVILLE — Playing its first game in a week, the Arkansas basketball team showed no rust Saturday.

The Razorbacks opened with a 12-3 run and were never threatened during a 95-67 victory over North Carolina A&T at Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas (10-2) won its fifth consecutive game and played for the final time before a break for Christmas. The Razorbacks are not scheduled to play again until a Dec. 30 home game against Oakland.

Jonas Aidoo had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocked shots before the first media timeout to spark the early run. Aidoo finished with season highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.

Aidoo was one of seven Razorbacks who scored in double figures. Adou Thiero scored 14 points, Boogie Fland scored 12 to go with 11 assists, Trevon Brazile and Karter Knox scored 11 apiece, and D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond had 10.

Zvonimir Ivisic (8 points) was the only Arkansas rotation player to score less than 10. The Razorbacks played the game without guard Nelly Davis, who sat out with soreness in his shooting wrist. Davis is averaging 9.9 points per game.

Arkansas shot 50% (37 of 74) with 26 assists and held the Aggies to 36% (27 of 75) shooting.

The Razorbacks led 54-31 at halftime and by as many as 37 points in the second half.

North Carolina A&T (3-10) lost its eighth consecutive game. The Aggies were led in scoring by Marion native Ryan Forrest (19 points) and Fayetteville native Landon Glasper (16).

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North Carolina

After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina's holiday tourist season grinds to a halt

Published

15 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina's holiday tourist season grinds to a halt

So far, nearly half of the 10,129 displaced households the Federal Emergency Management Agency has worked with have been placed in temporary shelters across the state, such as hotels, apartments and mobile homes, FEMA said. The remaining households have already found long-term housing, a spokesperson said.

While the temporary housing program was scheduled to end on Dec. 12, federal officials said that FEMA caseworkers wouldn’t force people from their temporary quarters and that they would work urgently to find them permanent shelter.

FEMA has spent $262 million on individual rental assistance and home repairs for Helene survivors in North Carolina, a spokesperson said. Another $274 million went to repairing infrastructure and removing debris. More financial help will be coming, the spokesperson said, but how much hasn’t been established yet.

Local officials said they are grateful for the assistance, but much more aid will be needed to restore Asheville, Biltmore Village and surrounding areas to their former condition.

Manheimer and other North Carolina officials traveled to Washington last month to ask President Joe Biden and members of Congress for $25 billion to repair homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure in western North Carolina.

“We’re asking for so many exceptions and rules [to be] interpreted broadly, because this was an abnormal hurricane because of landslides, massive flooding, wind damage and large amounts of debris,” Manheimer said.

Private road and bridge repairs are costly, and there isn’t a specific federal program designed to repair them, she said.

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North Carolina

New damage delays I-40 reopening in North Carolina closed by Helene

Published

23 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

New damage delays I-40 reopening in North Carolina closed by Helene

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The reopening of a section of Interstate 40 in western North Carolina that collapsed during Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding has been delayed after more asphalt from eastbound lanes fell this week, the state Department of Transportation said on Friday.

The primary road connection between North Carolina and eastern Tennessee was severed in late September as flooding in the Pigeon River gorge washed away over 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of I-40’s eastbound lanes.

Transportation crews and contractors had focused initially on reopening the westbound lanes in Haywood County to two-way traffic during the first week of January. Now the new damage will keep it closed until engineers determine the area is safe enough for drivers in such a narrow pattern in the gorge, according to a state DOT news release.

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“It is an unfortunate situation,” division engineer Wanda Payne said. “It’s a new hurdle that we have to overcome in order to provide a safe facility for the travelling public.”

The department attributes the new slide to wet weather and freeze-thaw conditions. Contractors have been working to stabilize one lane in each direction from Harmon Den to the Tennessee line, or about 7 miles (11.3 kilometers).

“We would like to open the corridor as soon as it is safe to do so,” Payne said. “We know it is a critical route for folks who live here, visit here and travel through here.”

Hurricane Helene and its resulting destruction damaged roads and bridges in more than 6,900 sites, according to a state government damage and needs assessment report. The department, its contractors and partners have reopened more than 1,200 roads that were closed.

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