Feds Fall Short: WNC Gets Only 11% of Needed Disaster Aid

ASHEVILLE — Nearly 18 months after Hurricane Helene carved a path of destruction through Western North Carolina, the economic scars are being formalized in state data. Both Buncombe and Henderson counties have been reclassified into more distressed economic tiers by the North Carolina Department of Commerce — a reflection of the storm's estimated $60 billion in regional damage and the slow pace of federal recovery support.North Carolina has received approximately 11 percent of federal disaster a