Some tenants who could barely afford rent in western North Carolina before Hurricane Helene have fallen behind and are now facing the possibility of eviction.

Hurricane Helene hammered the southeast at the end of September, killing at least 62 people, but the long-term damage from the storm is still being felt in places like North Carolina. There, scores of people are facing eviction as the state struggles with a combination economic-housing crisis.

Asheville officials said they support an evictions pause - a measure that was instituted in Maui after last summer’s fires and in most states during the coronavirus pandemic. But in North Carolina, only the governor, the general assembly or the state Supreme Court can enact a moratorium.