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Devastation, doubt and blame: Hurricane Helene loomsover North Carolina’s US Senate race

The Democratic and the Republican candidate each blame the other for the bungled recovery effort after storm struck region

Read full story on The Guardian
Chris Stein in Marshall, North Carolina24 Aug 2026, 10:00 amUpdated 1d ago1 min readClimateGlobal
Devastation, doubt and blame: Hurricane Helene looms over North Carolina’s US Senate race

GlobalChris Stein in Marshall, North Carolina

The Democratic and the Republican candidate each blame the other for the bungled recovery effort after storm struck region

Two years after North Carolina suffered the worst natural disaster in its history when Hurricane Helene struck the state’s western half, life in the hardest-hit areas appears back to normal. Downtowns are lively, blocked roads have been reopened and rivers are flowing below their banks.

But the telltale evidence of the disaster’s expensive impacts can still be seen – from “for rent” signs in storefronts whose businesses never came back to debris from the storm still lurking in some waterways. And in the race for North Carolina’s US Senate seat, it’s almost as if the hurricane never left.

Two years after North Carolina suffered the worst natural disaster in its history when Hurricane Helene struck the state’s western half, life in the hardest-hit areas appears back to normal. Downtowns are lively, blocked roads have been reopened and rivers are flowing below their banks.

This report is published with credit to The Guardian. The wire sent a summary; open the original for any extra context. Read on The Guardian

Source: The Guardian · Chris Stein in Marshall, North Carolina. Published 24 Aug 2026, 10:00 am.

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