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More than a road

Aerial view of rockslide damage to I-40 post Hurricane Helene.
As Hurricane Helene devastated the Southern Appalachians, it brought a deluge of water that destroyed hundreds of miles of roads, from winding mountain roads all the way to interstate highways. Aerial view of rockslide damage to I-40 post Hurricane Helene. (Courtesy photo by Andy Ryan) When…
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All of us were affected

Image shows a mass of tree limbs and trunks and other debris piled on top of a stone bridge while a woman in safety gear stands nearby.
Hurricane Helene reached Category 4 before making landfall in Florida. (Image courtesy of NOAA) Only a month after the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, another anniversary comes due for a different catastrophic storm—it is the first anniversary after Hurricane Helene devastated the…
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2025 Hurricane season preparedness

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Downed timber on the Pisgah National Forest following Hurricane Helene (Photo courtesy of Kristian Jackson) Tropical storms and hurricanes are some of the most costly and wide-reaching natural disasters in the United States. In 2024, there were 18 named storms that killed 437 people and caused an estimated…
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Going out on a limb

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Certified tree climbers such as Andre Fedotowsky, Daniel Boone National Forest, use limb walking and other techniques to maneuver throughout the entire tree canopy. (Photo courtesy of Anna Peyton Durham) When a dead limb or broken branch is hanging over a campsite and causing safety concerns…
tree canopy, #HurricaneDamage, #Hurricane, #HurricaneRecovery

Landowner outreach event aims at benefiting hurricane-affected communities

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Science Delivery Specialist Christine Martens gives introductory remarks for a packed audience at the Hurricane Helene Forestry event for landowners. (USDA Forest Service photo by Alyssa Briggs) NORTH CAROLINA — More than 250 members of the western North Carolina community, including many forest landowners…
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Reflections from receding waters and storms

Image shows Forest Service personnel clearing trees and debris from a roadway.
When Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern United States in late September 2024, its destruction spared neither national forests nor members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service workforce living in its path. The national forests in North Carolina were among the worst impacted. And like so many in western North Carolina, Forest Service employees found themselves without power,…
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