The Volunteer State is Living Up to Its Name

Normally this afternoon, I would be writing about some cool place to visit in Knoxville or a great place to eat. But quite frankly, my heart isn’t in it right now. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, I, like many others, have watched as video after video of unfathomable destruction has crossed my Facebook and Twitter (X) feed. Much of East Tennessee and the mountains of North Carolina have been devastated. But in the midst of all those heartrending images, I have seen case after case of Tennesseans stepping up to help out. Once again, the Volunteer State is Living Up to Its Name.

You can read here to get the most comprehensive and understandable explanation I’ve seen of what happened. But in my words, the hurricane hit Western North Carolina and East Tennessee Sept 26-27. While downgraded to a tropical storm, Helene still blasted sections of the mountains of North Carolina with over 30 inches of rain.

That water had to go somewhere.  There are three rivers that flow from North Carolina to Tennessee (the French Broad, Nolichucky and Pigeon Rivers). Those rivers were overwhelmed with runoff from the mountains and overflowed their banks, causing flooding in Erwin, Greeneville, and Newport.

To give you some idea of how much water we are talking about, Daniel Dassow of the Knoxville News Sentinel writes, “The French Broad River in Newport swelled more than 13 feet higher than its flood stage in its largest flood in the area since 1867, according to the TVA update.

The Pigeon River in Newport was more than 20 feet higher than its flood stage, beating the previous record set in 1904.” 

The devastation in North Carolina and Tennessee is unbelievable. But the Volunteer State didn’t wait on help from the federal government; Tennessee Volunteers got to work.

On Sunday, September 29, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs posted a letter on Facebook letting Knox County residents know that Cocke County was in critical need of drinking water. He opened a drop-off point at the Engineering and Public Works (205 West Baxter Avenue) for people to bring drinking water.

As of today, this drop-off point is still open. I’ve reached out to the department of engineering and public works to see how long they will continue accepting donations but have not heard back. You can call 865-215-5800 for more information.

There is also a food drive being sponsored by Mission of Hope on Saturday, October 5. You can take bottled water and non-perishable food to Knoxville Wholesale Furniture at 7428 Kingston Pike in Knoxville.

WIVK, with help from Southern Freight Service, K&L Trailer Leasing and JB&B Capital, delivered two full semi loads of donations from Knox County residents to Erwin, Tn and Cosby, Tn

Churches are leaping into action. Our church took water to Newport on Monday and is collecting items this evening to take to Greeneville. And there are other churches that are doing the same.

And that doesn’t count the numerous Facebook posts that I have seen talking about friends meeting up to take donations to the areas hit by flooding. I am so proud of my community and their willingness to help our neighbors.

Unfortunately, what we have done is just a drop in the bucket over what will be needed over the course of the next few months, if not years.

So here are a few suggestions as to what we can continue to do to keep the volunteer spirit in Tennessee going strong.

• Keep attention on the area – unfortunately, disasters are quickly forgotten as the next “big thing” takes over the news cycle. We can help by continuing to draw attention to the areas that were hardest hit with our Facebook posts, our conversations with friends, our Twitter feed.
• Continue to give in food drives, water drives and other collections. But only give to reputable organizations. I reached out to Mayor Jacob’s office this afternoon and they gave me the following locations in the hardest hit areas where they are accepting donations.

• They are: Elizabethton Park and Recreations at 300 West Mill Street in Elizabethton. They are open from 8a-8p. Their number is 423-547-6441. Evergreen Freewill Baptist Church at 910 Hoback Street in Erwin. They are open from 9a-3p. Their phone number is 423-743-9441. And Crossroads Baptist Church at 1300 Suncrest Drive in Johnson City. They are open from 9a-8p. You can check their website for more information.

• If you’re unable to travel to these areas, the mayor’s office also suggested the American Red Cross, Second Harvest and the United Way.

• Consider giving monetary donations. The mayor’s office gave this website for those who wish to give monetary donations. You can also give to Samaritan’s Purse by clicking here.
• As the time goes on, you might want to consider volunteering to help at Samaritan’s Purse. Currently I do not see a location in Tennessee where you can volunteer, but check back frequently here and they might add one on. Crossroads Baptist Church listed above has opportunities for volunteering. Check here for more information.

As I said before, usually I am writing about fun places in Knoxville and the surrounding areas that you might like to visit. But it just seemed wrong at this time when so many people are suffering from the disastrous flooding to write about something fun.

I hope you understand where I’m coming from. I wanted to share what is going on in this place I’ve adopted as my hometown. I also wanted to brag just a little bit about how the Volunteer State is living up to its name and helping those who are hurting.

Thanks for listening and please, if you can, help out our neighbors.