Jonathan Franklin

Sep 28, 2024 | npr.org | Rebecca Rosman |Emma Bowman |Rachel Treisman |Jonathan Franklin |Bill Chappell

Rescue teams across the southeastern U.S. and southern Appalachia scrambled to respond to the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, as more than were without any power Saturday amid a continued threat of floods. Moody's Analytics said Friday it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage from the hurricane, which by late Friday had been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Sep 27, 2024 | npr.org | Emma Bowman |Rachel Treisman |Jonathan Franklin |Bill Chappell

Follow NPR's live updates for the latest on Helene and the fallout of the storm. Helene weakened to a post-tropical cyclone on Friday evening but continued to unleash “catastrophic” flooding in the southeastern U.S. and southern Appalachians, forecasters said. Life-threatening flooding and landslides in parts of southern Appalachia were expected to continue into the evening, the National Hurricane Center said. Gusty winds were still lashing parts of Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Sep 25, 2024 | npr.org | Jonathan Franklin

As Hurricane Helene continues to strengthen, local and state officials throughout Florida have activated emergency plans and are urging residents to evacuate sooner rather than later. "We are going to have a significant impact from this storm," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters during a news conference Wednesday morning. But when it comes to evacuating from the path of a major storm like Helene, some residents in hurricane-prone areas have no choice but to stay put and ride things out.

Sep 24, 2024 | npr.org | Jonathan Franklin

The state of Maryland announced that it is filing a lawsuit against the owners and manager of the cargo ship, Dali, which caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse on March 26, killing six construction workers and shutting down a busy port for months. In a news conference Tuesday, the state's Attorney General, Anthony Brown, Maryland Gov.

Sep 23, 2024 | npr.org | Jonathan Franklin

Motel 6, the economy budget motel that has existed for six decades, announced that it will be acquired by Oyo, an Indian-based travel company, in a multi-million dollar sale. But there is no need to worry; the motel chain will still leave its light on for you. Motel 6's parent company, Blackstone, released a statement Friday outlining that the deal would be an all-cash transaction totaling $525 million.