Hiwassee Dam – From lost truckers to incorrectly identified road closures, lingering side effects of Tropical Storm Helene continue to affect Cherokee County.
Increased traffic among truck drivers headed to – or around – areas of North Carolina affected by Helene have caused traffic headaches in Cherokee County.
Big rig and box truck traffic on N.C. 294 has resulted in accidents and road blocks. In one incident, a crash that blocked N.C. 294 led to a detour via Candy Mountain Road until it, too, was blocked by a truck accident.
Traffic concerns have also been reported on U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge.
Meanwhile, drivers headed to Robbinsville from Cherokee County using Google Maps are shown a route through Tatham Gap Road, a winding gravel road, instead of the usual route from Topton to Robbinsville via U.S. 129.
The confusion stems from the DriveNC.gov website that shows the Topton to Robbinsville route as being closed to truck traffic. Google Maps applied the restriction to all vehicle traffic. Apple Maps shows the route as open.
Helene’s eye passed near Andrews on Sept. 27, with about 25 counties east of Cherokee County experiencing record rainfall and devastating flooding.
Recovery continues
Recovery and relief efforts continue in western North Carolina as local, state and federal partners work together to help those affected.
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Gov. Roy Cooper issued an emergency executive order authorizing the N.C. Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security, to increase the amount of weekly unemployment payments available to North Carolinians in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The order increases weekly unemployment benefits from a maximum of $350 a week to a maximum of $600 a week. To ensure that these workers receive necessary benefits in the wake of Helene, the order will also increase benefits by $250 a week (up to the $600 cap) for all eligible workers. This order is tied to the State of Emergency for Helene, and will only remain in effect until the end of the emergency or until it is rescinded.
Unemployment insurance
The Division of Employment Security added 12 counties including Cherokee County approved for Disaster Unemployment Assistance because of the devastating impacts from Hurricane Helene, which brings the total approved for DUA to 39 counties, plus the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina.
DUA benefits are available for residents of the following additional counties: Cabarrus, Cherokee, Forsyth, Graham, Iredell, Lee, Nash, Rowan, Stanly, Surry, Union and Yadkin, in addition to counties previously included in the disaster declaration. Additional counties may be added to the DUA availability designation.
People in the 12 newly approved disaster-declared counties, plus Mecklenburg and Swain counties, who are unable to continue working as a direct result of Hurricane Helene, must file an application by Dec. 9.
If you became unemployed as a direct result of the effects of Hurricane Helene impacting North Carolina, you may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits under the DUA program. Business owners and self-employed individuals affected by the storm may also qualify for benefits.
People and business owners must meet the following criteria to be eligible for benefits:
- No longer have the job that provided their primary source of income.
- Are unable to reach their place of unemployment.
- Cannot work because of an injury caused by the storm.
- Were unable to begin employment or self-employment due to the storm.
- Have become the major supplier of household income due to a storm-related death of the previous major supplier of household income.
DUA is entirely funded by the federal government. You first need to file for state unemployment benefits. If you are determined to be ineligible for state unemployment or have exhausted your state benefits, then you may be eligible for a DUA claim.
DUA is available for weeks of unemployment beginning with the week of Sept. 29, and may last for up to 26 weeks, which ends March 29, 2025. Eligibility for DUA is determined weekly, and you must continue to be out of work as a direct result of the disaster each week to get unemployment benefits.
Claims are filed through the DES website at des.nc.gov. If you are not able to file through the website, you can call the DUA Hotline at 919-629-3857 to apply for benefits. A Spanish language DUA hotline is available at 919-276-5698.
DUA benefits are available for residents of the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey, as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina.
Details: Visit des.nc.gov/dua.
Education waivers
University of North Carolina institutions will waive application fees for all students from 39 disaster-declared counties, including Cherokee and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, during College Application Week from Oct. 21-27.
College Application Week is a statewide initiative to encourage high school seniors to pursue higher education, and many colleges and universities in North Carolina waive their application fees during this period. For details about application fee waivers and other resources for applying to college, visit the N.C. Countdown to College website.
The institutions offering free applications to high school students from disaster-declared counties are: Appalachian State University; N.C. State University; UNC at Chapel Hill; UNC at Charlotte; UNC at Greensboro; and UNC at Wilmington.
In addition, the following UNC universities will waive application fees for all North Carolina high school students this week regardless of where they live: East Carolina University; Elizabeth City State University; Fayetteville State University; N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University; N.C. Central University; UNC at Asheville; UNC at Pembroke; UNC School of the Arts; Western Carolina University; and Winston-Salem State University.
Several universities will also extend fee waivers beyond College Application Week for students from the disaster-declared counties, including N.C. State, UNC at Chapel Hill and UNC at Wilmington. Details are available on each university’s website.
The disaster-declared counties are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The application fee waiver will be extended to any counties that may be added to the federal disaster declaration for Helene prior to the end of College Application Week on Sunday.
State aid
On Oct. 9, the N.C. House of Representatives reconvened in Raleigh and passed the first emergency disaster relief bill following the devastation of Hurricane Helene. More than $273 million is appropriated in HB149, “Disaster Recovery Act of 2024” from the rainy day fund for recovery.
This legislation funds urgent needs to rebuild communities, support small businesses, meet water and transportation needs and make election changes to ensure voters in western North Carolina will be able to vote in the upcoming election.
Various provisions of the bill include:
- Provides critical flexibility for school calendars, allowing remote instruction days for districts impacted by Hurricane Helene.
- Guarantees that teachers and staff will receive full compensation for any instructional days missed due to the hurricane, ensuring that educators are supported as they work to maintain continuity in students’ education during this challenging time of recovery.
- Expands absentee ballot return options, allowing voters registered in affected counties to submit their ballots at any county board of elections office statewide.