Thanks to our partner, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funding from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), 270 issues of The Yancey Journal (Burnsville, N.C.) have been added to our North Carolina Newspapers collection. This batch not only fills in issue gaps from 1980 to 1982, but expands our holdings to include issues from 1983 to 1986.

In the wake of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene to the western part of our state, the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center has made an effort to prioritize partnering with cultural heritage institutions—both new and veteran—and materials related to affected areas. Our latest batch of microfilmed newspapers comes from one of the counties hit hardest by Helene—Yancey.

According to the National Hurricane Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with over 200 landslides, the highest observed rainfall total—not just in North Carolina, but out of every state hit by Helene—was found in Yancey County. Measuring in at 30.78 inches total, it beat the state with the second highest total (21.66 inches) by nearly 10 inches. At least 1,400 homes were destroyed and 2,300 badly damaged, and utilities not being restored for up to several months. With major roads in and out of the county swept away, the community could only receive supplies either flown in via helicopter or driven in on four wheel drive vehicles. Today, though roads have since been reopened and utilities restored, residents of Yancey County continue to work on rebuilding their community.

To view more materials from Yancey County on DigitalNC here.

To browse more newspapers from across the state, view our newspaper collection here.

Information about Hurricane Helene in Yancey County was taken from the report “National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Helene,” authored by the National Hurricane Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) currently hosted on the Come Hell or High Water community archives project website.