America’s most popular national park crippled by Helene

By Mike Magner, CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTON — The gorgeous fall colors will still come this month to the Great Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina, but many of the millions of travelers who normally arrive this time of year at America’s most-visited national park probably will not, in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

The result is a triple tragedy for the region: extensive damage that has closed many roads and trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, thousands of homes and businesses...