AGAIN. For the second time in three years, Haywood County, the highest east of the Mississippi River, experienced devastating flooding from a tropical weather system that reached mountainous Southern Appalachia’s narrow, rocky canyons and broad, lush river valleys — wiping out whole towns, inundating normally impregnable areas and crippling the communications and transportation infrastructure that powers public safety, commerce and the dissemination of information. 

Since Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina, there has been an outpouring of people looking for ways to support those hit hardest by the storm. Here’s a look at what options people have to volunteer or donate if they wish to contribute to ongoing efforts in the Smoky Mountain News coverage area (Swain, Macon, Jackson and Haywood counties, as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians).

Schools around the region will be closed beginning Sept. 29 following flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.

Gov. Roy Cooper provided an update on the emergency response and recovery from Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.

He began by noting the approval of a major disaster declaration for 25 North Carolina counties, as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Editor's note: Hurricane Helene has already produced flash flooding and dangerous winds across the region, and it has come on the heels of heavy rains, downed trees, sporadic tornadoes and some minor flooding due to a separate system that entered the region from the west. Smoky Mountain News Staff will be out gathering photos and firsthand reports throughout Friday and beyond. This page will be updated with those pictures and stories as they come in from across our coverage area, but you can always find more on our Facebook, Instagram and X accounts.