RELIEF – When Tropical Storm Helene swept through Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, it hit the small Mitchell County community of Relief, where Alena Ayers lived, particularly hard. Floodwaters from ...

House Bill 537 — dubbed "Alena's Law" — would allow someone who disappears during a disaster to be presumed dead 90 days ...

It won’t bring her back. It won’t change any of this, but it will do something to help people in the future,” said Kelly ...

As soon as she could, Kelly White started looking for her cousin, Alena Ayers, who disappeared during Helene’s floods six months ago. She began in the tiny community of Relief, where Ayers lived for ...

27, it hit the small Mitchell County community of Relief, where Alena Ayers lived, particularly hard. Floodwaters from the nearby North Toe River, which turns into the Nolichucky River before ...

Kelly White holds a portrait of her cousin Alena Ayers, who is among those still missing, six months after historic flooding from Hurricane Helene flooded the North Toe River in the Mitchell ...

Extensive damage to roads and property in the Chimney Rock Village area of Rutherford County in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene are seen in this aerial image on Nov. 10, 2024. Alena Ayers and ...

It’s been more than six months since Helene tore through Western North Carolina, and five people are still missing — lost in the floodwaters that swept through the mountains in September 2024.