North Carolina municipalities such as Asheville and Blowing Rock and communities in Tennessee may see a credit downgrade in the wake of Hurricane Helene, S&P Global Ratings said in a report on Thursday.

Early voting turnout started strong in the presidential battleground of North Carolina, even in the mountains where Hurricane Helene’s flooding three weeks ago destroyed lives and property — but not the desire to participate in elections.

The number of people casting ballots on the first day of early in-person voting in presidential battleground North Carolina exceeded the first-day total four years ago — even as Hurricane Helene recov