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TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Milton weakened slightly but remained a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on the populous Tampa Bay region with towering storm surges.

This makes Milton one of the most powerful storms produced in the Atlantic this year, rivaled only by Hurricane Beryl, which raked Texas, Mexico and the Caribbean in July.

Florida is bracing for another potentially dangerous and costly hurricane less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated a wide swath of the U.S. Southeast.

The owner of a North Carolina quartz mine that’s a key source for high-purity quartz used in global semiconductor manufacturing said its operations sustained only minor damage.

Trucking industry and governmental aid efforts are underway to assist communities reeling from Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that slammed the Gulf Coast on Sept. 26.

The assessment includes damage to privately insured automobiles as well as residential, commercial and industrial properties and the impact of business interruption.

As historic floodwaters unleashed by Hurricane Helene recede across the Southeast, the region faces a humanitarian, economic and ecological crisis of staggering scope.

Global semiconductor makers are monitoring supplies of high-purity quartz, a material critical to the industry, after Hurricane Helene halted production at two North Carolina mines.

Cotton growers are facing devastating losses and delays from Hurricane Helene just as harvest was beginning, marking the latest blow to profits in an already weak market.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A crisis unfolded in western North Carolina as officials rushed to get more water, food and other supplies to flood-stricken areas without power and cell service Sept. 30.