Latest North Carolina Headlines

All the headlines from our North Carolina Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Dam Breach at N.C. Power Plant Causes Coal Ash Spill into Cape Fear River

Sep 24 2018 // Gray muck is flowing into the Cape Fear River from the site of a dam breach at a Wilmington power plant where an old coal ash dump had been covered over by Florence’s floodwaters.Forecasters predicted the water would...

Florence Crop Damage to Farms in the Carolinas Could Cost Billions

Sep 24 2018 // Hurricane Florence is testing the resolve of farmers in the Carolinas, who could face billions of dollars in agricultural damage while still feeling the sting from Hurricane Matthew almost two years ago.After last...

North Carolina Power Plant Inundated by Flood Waters

Sep 21 2018 // Duke Energy activated a high-level emergency alert at a retired coal-fired power plant in North Carolina as floodwaters from the nearby Cape Fear River overtopped an earthen dike at the facility and inundated a large...

The Longest Week: Carolinas Worn Out by Florence

Sep 21 2018 // Hurricane Florence is still wearing out the Carolinas, where residents have endured an agonizing week of violent winds, torrential rain, widespread flooding, power outages and death.Frustration and sheer exhaustion are...

Florence Raises Questions About Rebuilding Along North Carolina’s Coast

Sep 21 2018 // When Florence was raging last Friday on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the hurricane tore a 40-foot (12-meter) chunk from a fishing pier that juts into the ocean at the state’s most popular tourist...

Florence Death Toll Climbs to 37; Trump Visits Stricken Area

Sep 20 2018 // The death toll from Hurricane Florence climbed to at least 37, including two mental health patients who drowned when a sheriff’s van was swept away by floodwaters, and North Carolina’s governor pleaded with...

Florence Floods: Hurricane Rating System Fails to Account for Deadly Rain

Sep 19 2018 // When meteorologists downgraded Hurricane Florence from a powerful Category 4 storm to a Category 2 and then a Category 1, Wayne Mills figured he could stick it out.He regrets it. The Neuse River, normally 150 feet away,...

After Florence Floods, Uninsured Awaken to Painful Reality

Sep 19 2018 // Flood insurance was far from Stephanie Walker’s mind in 2015 when she moved her family into a home in Fayetteville in central North Carolina, nearly 200 miles (320 km) from the coast.The next year, a creek at the end...

North Carolina Sets Up Insurance Camps, Victim Assistance Centers With FEMA, NFIP

Sep 19 2018 // Consumer assistance centers and insurance camps have been set up in areas of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Florence, according to a statement from North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey.“We are...

Duke Restores Power to 1.2 Million in Carolinas as Florence Heads North

Sep 18 2018 // Duke Energy Corp., the biggest utility in the Carolinas, has faced a three-front war as it battles back against the wet and dangerously wild effects of Hurricane Florence.The company restored power to almost 80 percent of...

Hydroelectric Dams Operating at Peak to Manage Florence’s Floods

Sep 18 2018 // Florence’s driving rains are forcing hydroelectric dam operators to run generators at full tilt and open flood gates that haven’t been used in more than 20 years.The Tennessee Valley Authority — which...

Hurricane Florence’s Surge Is Expected to Hit Homes That Already Cost the Government Millions: ProPublica

Sep 18 2018 // Though the flooding from Hurricane Florence is predicted to be unprecedented, residents of the coastal North Carolina towns threatened by the storm surge know what it’s like to take on water. Some homes in these...

Karen Clark & Co. Estimates $2.5B in Insured Losses from Hurricane Florence

Sep 18 2018 // Insured losses from Hurricane Florence will reach $2.5 billion, according to an estimate from Karen Clark & Co.The estimate of insured losses to residential, commercial, and industrial properties and autos comes from...

Duke Downplays Threat From Coal-Ash Spill in Carolina Storm

Sep 17 2018 // Duke Energy Corp. is confident most of the coal ash that breached a North Carolina landfill was contained at the site and that the spill doesn’t pose an imminent threat to public safety or the environment, a company...

Hurricane Florence Likely to Expose Gaps in Flood Insurance

Sep 17 2018 // The number of Americans with flood insurance is on the rise, yet Hurricane Florence is likely to make it painfully clear that too many homeowners in the Carolinas and other vulnerable regions remain unprotected. .An...

Carolinians Must Wait for Flood Waters to Recede to Assess Florence’s Damage

Sep 17 2018 // Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, 9:55 am — Record-setting, still-rising floods covering much of eastern North Carolina are preventing companies, regulators and environmental groups from making a comprehensive assessment of damage...

Florence Floods Cause Sewage, Coal Ash Spills

Sep 16 2018 // A Duke Energy Corp. landfill near Wilmington, North Carolina, failed under the assault of Tropical Storm Florence, spilling about 2,000 cubic yards of coal ash that can carry toxic mercury, arsenic and lead. Authorities...

Florence’s Winds Slow But Serious Floods Continue; Death Count Rising

Sep 16 2018 // Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, 1:57 pm —The still-potent remnants of Hurricane Florence marched through the Carolinas on Sunday and as the winds weakened the flood grew only stronger.New Hanover County and the city of...

How 4,000 Federal Workers Are Being Deployed for Hurricane Florence

Sep 14 2018 // As Hurricane Florence churns toward the Carolinas, bearing a potentially lethal ocean surge and winds and torrential rains, the federal government is marshaling its forces to help communities prepare and recover.President...

Update: Category 1 Hurricane Florence Lands in Carolinas, Threatening Floods, Tornadoes, Power Outages

Sep 14 2018 // Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina, leaving more than half a million people without power and facing at least another day of heavy rain and wind.Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach Friday as a Category 1...