Governor Cooper Highlights Tourism Industry in Western North Carolina

Raleigh -- October 31, 2024: Press Release North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's Office: Today, Governor Roy Cooper traveled to Grandfather Mountain and Grandfather Mountain State Park in Avery County to highlight the importance of supporting Western North Carolina’s tourism industry in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Afterward, the Governor assessed damaged areas and spoke with people impacted by the storm in Banner Elk, where he was joined by Western North Carolina native and Grammy-nominated country musician Eric Church.

 

"Today I visited beautiful Grandfather Mountain State Park in Avery County and traveled to Banner Elk to see areas that were damaged during Helene,” said Governor Cooper. “Tourism is a critical part of Western North Carolina’s economy, and there are still many wonderful spots in the region open and accepting visitors. I’m grateful for the work of our federal, state and local responders as well as partners like Eric Church who have given time and effort to help communities in need.”

 

This week, Governor Cooper signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Western North Carolina native and country musician Eric Church confirming his commitment that publishing royalties from Church's recent song, "Darkest Hour," will help fund response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

 

 

The DPS Task Force to locate unaccounted for people has 7 people remaining on this list. The Task Force has handed over remaining work on this to local law enforcement.

 

 

Some roads are closed because they are too damaged and dangerous to travel. Other roads still need to be reserved for essential traffic like utility vehicles, construction equipment and supply trucks. However, some parts of the area are open and ready to welcome visitors which is critical for the revival of Western North Carolina’s economy. If you are considering a visit to the area, consult DriveNC.gov for open roads and reach out to the community and businesses you want to visit to see if they are welcoming visitors back yet.

 

 

More than 1,700 Soldiers and Airmen are working in Western North Carolina. Joint Task Force- North Carolina, the task force led by the North Carolina National Guard continues to help with commodity distribution and critical debris removal alongside local government workers, volunteers and  numerous civilian entities to get much-needed help to people in Western North Carolina.

 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping to assess water and wastewater plants and dams. Residents can track the status of the public water supply in their area through this website.

 

 

Approximately $195 million in FEMA Individual Assistance funds have been paid so far to Western North Carolina disaster survivors and approximately 239,000 people have registered for Individual Assistance. Over 8,600 people are being helped through FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance. Nearly 6,200 registrations for Small Business Administration Loans have been filed.

 

Nearly 1,800 FEMA staff are in the state to help with the Western North Carolina relief effort. In addition to search and rescue and providing commodities, they are meeting with disaster survivors in shelters and neighborhoods to provide rapid access to relief resources. They can be identified by their FEMA logo apparel and federal government identification.

 

North Carolinians can apply for Individual Assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 from 7am to 11pm daily or by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov, or by downloading the FEMA app. FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs.

 

 

More than 1,750 responders from 39 state and local agencies have performed 153 missions supporting the response and recovery efforts through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). This includes public health nurses, emergency management teams supporting

local governments, veterinarians, teams with search dogs and more.

 

 

North Carolina Emergency Management and local officials are cautioning the public about false Helene reports and misinformation being shared on social media. NCEM has launched a fact versus rumor response webpage to provide factual information in the wake of this storm. FEMA also has a rumor response webpage.

 

Efforts continue to provide food, water and basic necessities to residents in affected communities, using both ground resources and air drops from the NC National Guard. Food, water and commodity points of distribution are open throughout Western North Carolina. For information on these sites in your community, visit your local emergency management and local government social media and websites or visit ncdps.gov/Helene.

 

 

If your home has damages and you need assistance with clean up, please call Crisis Cleanup for access to volunteer organizations that can assist you at 844-965-1386.

 

 

Across Western North Carolina, approximately 2,200 customers remain without power, down from a peak of more than 1 million. Overall power outage numbers will fluctuate up and down as power crews temporarily take circuits or substations offline to make repairs and restore additional customers.

 

 

Some roads are closed because they are too damaged and dangerous to travel. Other roads still need to be reserved for essential traffic like utility vehicles, construction equipment and supply trucks. However, some parts of the area are open and ready to welcome visitors which is critical for the revival of Western North Carolina’s economy. If you are considering a visit to the area, consult DriveNC.gov for open roads and reach out to the community and businesses you want to visit to see if they are welcoming visitors back yet.

 

NCDOT currently has more than 2,000 employees and more than 900 pieces of equipment working on damaged road sites.

 

 

101 storm-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. This number is expected to rise over the coming days. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will continue to confirm numbers twice daily. If you have an emergency or believe that someone is in danger, please call 911.

 

 

If you would like to donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, visit nc.gov/donate. Donations will help to support local nonprofits working on the ground.

For information on volunteer opportunities, please visit nc.gov/volunteernc.

 

 

There is no right or wrong way to feel in response to the trauma of a hurricane. If you have been impacted by the storm and need someone to talk to, call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. Help is also available to anyone, anytime in English or Spanish through a call, text or chat to 988. Learn more at 988Lifeline.org.

 

If you are seeking a representative from the North Carolina Joint Information Center, please email ncempio@ncdps.gov or call 919-825-2599.

 

For general information, access to resources, or answers to frequently asked questions, please visit ncdps.gov/helene.

 

If you are seeking information on resources for recovery help for a resident impacted from the storm, please email IArecovery@ncdps.gov.