GREENVILLE, N.C. A Raleigh law firm is working with Legal Aid of North Carolina to find what problems people still have from Hurricane Irene.

RALEIGH, N.C. With farmers in eastern North Carolina still recovering from Hurricane Irene, cotton and tobacco crops are expected to drop this year, while some of the state's other major crops will increase.

DARE COUNTY, N.C.

Lane closures will begin Wednesday at 7 a.m. near the temporary N.C. 12 bridge at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge to install protective measures to prevent erosion.

RALEIGH, N.C.

North Carolina farmers hurt by Hurricane Irene last August and by tornadoes in April can now get more help from the federal government with more loan options and payments to recover from crop losses.

State officials announced that U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared 35 eastern counties disaster areas from the pair of storms.

HAMPTON It's rare good news for the Chesapeake Bay.

Scientists say the huge sediment plume that formed in the bay after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee did not cause the widespread damage they had feared.

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C. Dozens gathered Tuesday inside a community center that just three months ago offered hot meals to islanders cut off from the world when Hurricane Irene severed Hatteras and split its only highway into pieces. A new, temporary bridge reconnected the island on Oct. 10.

By Kelli Kennedy and Tony Winton

MIAMI

Say goodbye to the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, which was a study in contradictions: It spared the usual Southern targets while Irene paralyzed the Eastern seaboard and devastated parts of the Northeast with deadly flooding.

RALEIGH, N.C.

People in North Carolina looking to file flood insurance claims related to Hurricane Irene now have more time to do it.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday it is extending the deadline to Jan. 23. The extension is being granted in North Carolina and 14 other states because people have been reporting problems filing the claim, known as a proof of loss.

The Small Business Administration will close its Hurricane Irene disaster centers in eastern North Carolina Friday at 5 p.m.

RALEIGH, N.C.

More than $64 million has been approved for disaster aid in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday more than 34,000 people in the state have sought help or information on disaster assistance since the Category 1 hurricane.