Closing in on five months since Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, the area is far from being rebuilt. Insurance claims are being processed, and the federal government has done the initial appropriations for recovery.

Before leaving the governor's office, Roy Cooper stated in media interviews that Republican state legislators passed a bill that "actually took money away from western North Carolina." WFAE's Marshall Terry and WRAL's Paul Specht fact-check Cooper's claim.

The U.S. Forest Service has reopened several trails and roads in the Appalachian Ranger District. The U.S. Forest Service has cleared 137 miles of trails, including over 114 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Crews have also surveyed and reopened about 240 miles of roads across the district.

North Carolina officials charged with leading recovery efforts in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene have told state lawmakers that they need more money.

Verizon partnered with ForgiveCo to give a fresh start to thousands of North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene in a debt relief campaign worth $10 million dollars.

Some recovery work in the North Carolina mountains since Hurricane Helene has happened off the beaten path as volunteers and government crews repair damage on the Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail.