Two Years After Helene, Duke Energy Says It Rebuilt a Smarter Grid — Here's What That Took, and What It Cost.An "electric army" of 23,000 workers from 20 states and Canada restored power to 2.7 million customers after Hurricane Helene. Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks walked WNCW through the restoration, the technology the company says has already prevented 1.4 million outages this year, and what's still being paid for.

Two years ago this month, Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina. This 3-part special report, "Higher Ground" we take a look at what broke, what's been rebuilt, and what two years of recovery actually looks like on the ground. In this opening chapter, we go back to the moment it started — inside the room where one county had to decide how to warn a quarter million people that their homes were no longer safe, and to a much smaller town an hour and a half away that came within inches of losing its dam.

Join WNCW for a Live Radio Show with Leah Song of Rising Appalachia this Thursday!

October 9-11, 2026 | Downtown Greenville, SC

October 9, 2026 | Spectrum Center | Charlotte, NC

Our internet will be down for about an hour on Friday evening. That means our stream will be down, but we will still be on the air. This will affect the playlist feature on our website for that hour, as well as phone and email. We apologize for the inconvenience.

October 9, 2026 | Neighborhood Theatre | Charlotte, NC

October 8, 2026 | Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre | Charlotte, NC

October 4, 2026 | The Orange Peel | Asheville, NC

Formed in 2024, Red Camel Collective derived their name from the song "The Man In Red Camels" written by Timmy Massey and Rick Pardue. Red Camels are a vintage clothing brand best known for their iconic overalls. This name reflects the band's dedication to tradition, authenticity, and timeless style. Recently, they’ve been nominated in 3 IBMA award categories: Vocal Group, Song Of The Year and Female Vocalist, after winning IBMA New Artist of the Year Award in 2025. They’re playing Mountain Heritage Days in Cullowhee on Saturday the 26th.