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Mobile wastewater units bridge the gap as the town brings its damaged sewage treatment plant back online.

Human traffickers are trickling into western North Carolina to exploit the trail of vulnerability that Hurricane Helene left in its wake, a law enforcement representative warned at a recent North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission meeting.

As drug experts parse the data trying to understand the factors that could contribute to a sudden drop in overdose deaths, harm reductionists in western N.C. work to stave off a possible spike in overdoses after the destruction brought by Hurricane Helene.

Prison advocate groups call for the release of nearly 2,000 incarcerated people to ease overcrowding, improve conditions after the temporary closure of four western North Carolina prisons.

The N.C. dental board adopted emergency measures to give dentists in western N.C. more flexibility to reopen offices.

A month after Atrium announced it was erasing thousands of judgments filed against patients for medical debt, four other N.C. hospitals with large numbers of medical debt lawsuits said they have taken the same step.

Pregnant and newly postpartum women found themselves displaced by Helene — confronting canceled appointments, reworked birth plans and the loss of their belongings.

In areas like Buncombe County, people are drilling wells to have a backup water source in the event of future weather-related crises.

As water service is gradually restored to western North Carolina communities, Mitchell County officials make hard decisions about how to manage the loss of one of its wastewater plants.

Power outages, clinic closures and supply shortages leave vulnerable residents at risk as providers scramble to restore life-saving treatment across western North Carolina.