Individuals in central North Carolina counties whose homes and belongings were damaged by massive rains last month from Tropical Storm Chantal can now seek state-funded financial grants for temporary assistance.

In addition to Tropical Storm Dexter, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring several other tropical disturbances in the coming days.

"After a flurry of tropical storms in late June and early July, the Atlantic tropics were rather quiet for the last three weeks. That has changed over the weekend with the formation of the fourth named storm in the Atlantic (Dexter,