Thank you to Hannah who has been writing EdDaily the past two weeks, and thanks to all of you for checking in on our Western NC team members.

The disaster declaration for Helene includes Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey, and the Qualla Boundary.

State and federal leaders will meet in Arden in Buncombe County today at 2 p.m.

280 state-maintained roads remain closed including parts of Interstate 40 and Interstate 26. You can find current roadway conditions, including where the interstates are closed, by visiting DriveNC.Gov.

If you are trying to connect with missing family members or loved ones, call NC 211 (or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from outside the state). Sending extra love and prayers to you all.

EdNC will begin by conducting an inventory of damage to schools and community colleges.

We have purchased the equipment so we can report directly from schools and community colleges in the weeks to come.

We hope to iterate our approach in Canton, providing strategic support to superintendents and presidents.

“The nature of this work is to let the federal government handle what it will pay for, the state to provide the match and to fill in gaps, and for private philanthropy to complement what government cannot do with speed and support,” says Dan Gerlach.

Please let me know if you have other ideas on how we can help. My email is mrash at ednc.org.

Our thanks to everyone assisting in the recovery efforts. Be safe.

• Senate Leader Phil Berger issues statement on the hurricane

  Senator Berger Press Shop | September 29, 2024

• FEMA assures it has enough funds for immediate response to Hurricane Helene, but Congress must act to shore up disaster relief funding in the long term

  WDSU | September 25, 2024

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