Early voting began today in battleground North Carolina as the western part of the state struggles to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. NBC News' Gabe Gutierrez spoke with North Carolina voters.

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.

At least 95 storm-related deaths have been recorded in the state, a total that's still “expected to rise over the coming days," the governor's office said