‘Operation Airdrop’: Volunteers take to the skies to deliver disaster aid
Anyone on the internet knows that it can be a place of negativity and division. But it’s also a powerful tool for connection, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Crystal Cochran harnessed that connection to build a community of volunteers that provided vital assistance to thousands in Western North Carolina.
General Assembly’s Helene relief bill ‘a first step’
After a series of emotional speeches by western legislators during an Oct. 9 press conference and assurances from Senate President Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) that the measure was only a “first step,” North Carolina’s General Assembly unanimously passed, and Gov. Roy Cooper signed a wide-ranging $273 million storm relief act on Oct. 10 that will fund recovery spending by state agencies and loosen regulations that can sometimes get in the way.
