No hurricanes hit the US in 2025, but Tropical Storm Chantal and severe erosion slammed the Carolinas, as NOAA debuted new AI tools to improve storm forecasting.
Gov. Stein signs two bills but delays signing “Iryna’s Law,” a NC justice reform bill with bail limits, mental health reviews, and death penalty rules.
The bill went to Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday after the NC House voted 105-5 to pass it and the Senate gave it a unanimous vote on Monday.
Days after an announcement that western NC would receive over $12 million in reimbursements for recovery work due to Hurricane Helene, President Donald Trump announced he has approved another $32 million for damage caused by Tropical Storm Chantal in July.
Carolina is still picking up the pieces from last year’s Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Chantal, even as communities contend with fresh damage from Hurricane Erin — and state officials warn that federal relief has fallen far short of what’s needed.
Gov. Josh Stein told Council of State members at their meeting on Tuesday that he will be signing the General Assembly’s “mini budget,” but not before he admonished legislators for not passing a full budget.
The Small Business Administration approved a disaster declaration for impacted counties following Tropical Storm Chantal, including Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Granville, Orange, Person, and Wake counties.
The executive order, signed Wednesday, July 16, enables government officials to take extra measures to protect the public. The storm swept through the central part of the state early last week, causing historic flooding and damages to several Central NC counties.
In both Chantal and Helene, it was clear that families, neighbors, churches, and charities, not just government, were key to providing immediate assistance.
The city is currently under a Stage 5 water restriction plan, which means all industries, businesses, and offices must close unless they are a grocery store, health care facility, or drug store. Mebane City Councilman Sean Ewing explained that only one water pump is currently working and warned that it would be disastrous if the last one failed.
Governor Josh Stein traveled to Alamance and Orange counties on Tuesday to assess damage from Tropical Storm Chantal. The visit included a stop at Lake Michael Dam, where water levels on Sunday threatened to breach a spillway under construction.
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