Initial impacts from Helene — which hit the Carolinas as a tropical storm — are over. But hundreds of thousands are still without power, dozens of roads are closed, and risks of flooding remain.

Governor Roy Cooper is requesting President Joe Biden issue a major disaster declaration for North Carolina in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene. In a Friday letter to the Biden administration, Cooper said that 38 counties sustained significant amount of damage and other impacts associated with Helene that exceed the local and state capacity to