Two Years After Hurricane Helene, People Are Still Allowed to Live in Harm’s Way by Ren Larson, The Assembly Co-published with The Assembly September 28, 2026, 5:00 am

Two Years After Hurricane Helene, People Are Still Allowed to Live in Harm’s Way https://www.propublica.org/article/hurricane-helene-flood-prone-areas The aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and the floods in Texas’ Hill Country expose weaknesses in federal and state policies that allow people to live in dangerous areas where homes could be swept away. by Ren Larson, The Assembly Co-published with The Assembly September 28, 2026, 5:00 am This past weekend marked the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, which claimed more than 250 lives — 108 in North Carolina — and left hundreds of thousands of people without power for days to weeks. In Asheville, the largest city in the western part of the state, the storm left residents without drinking water for 53 days.