SUMMARY: Severe flooding in East Tennessee, particularly in Greeneville and Newport, has left many residents, like Cindy Clark, struggling to access resources after their homes were damaged. Clark is seeking help for her 91-year-old grandmother whose mobile home was flooded, expressing disappointment with the county’s emergency response. Many families lost weeks’ worth of groceries due to power outages and are facing challenges finding assistance, especially since Sever County wasn’t declared a disaster area. Local organizations have been unresponsive, leaving working-class residents without support. Clark emphasizes that their needs shouldn’t be overlooked amid larger disaster areas.

Some in Sevier County feel they lack resources after Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding.

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SUMMARY: Mark Starling heard his wife’s voice for the first time after two days of silence following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on Western North Carolina. While he was at work, his wife and son were stranded in their flooded hometown of Black Mountain, where they waited in a car for 7.5 hours. After 48 hours without contact, Starling was on live radio when his wife’s call finally got through. Overwhelmed with emotion, he confirmed her identity upon seeing her name on the screen, leading to an emotional reunion as they both realized the gravity of their situation.

Mark Starling was at work at WWNC radio station when he got contact from his wife, who he had not heard from in three days since the storm.

Stories like Starling’s have been the reality for many in the wake of Hurricane Helene, with damaged cell towers preventing families and friends from getting in touch with one another.

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SUMMARY: The Biden Administration’s victory for student loan forgiveness was brief as a Missouri judge issued an injunction, halting the program’s rollout. Initially, a Georgia judge’s removal of a legal challenge seemed to clear the way for the program, but Missouri claimed it would lose millions in funding due to its nonprofit student loan servicer. As a result, the plan remains in limbo despite the Biden Administration’s efforts, which have already led to debt relief for nearly 4 million borrowers.

A Missouri judge filed an injunction in the case, claiming the state would lose funding.

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