In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation in Southern Appalachia, support is arriving from all over the state and country for towns in ravaged Eastern Tennessee. Non-profit organizations and civilian volunteers are offering shelter, meals, bottled water, and a glimmer of hope to local residents.
“In partnership with the Red Cross, we opened up our facilities as a shelter for evacuees,” lead pastor Ben Garrison of Manley Baptist Church in Morristown told The Epoch Times in a call.
“At one point we had over one hundred people that we served through that shelter.”
Nestled in mountainous foothills just 95 miles from the storm devastation in Ashville, North Carolina, Manley Baptist Church has been unwavering in its support for area residents. In addition to shelter, the church has set up a donation collection and an outdoor water station.
The advisory was updated to 16 utility districts on Oct. 1.
“We have told people in our community who are without water to bring whatever containers they have. So we’ve had families come and fill up 10-plus containers because they didn’t have water in their homes,” Garrison said.
His church is also sending out donations of bottled water to other churches. “We received five thousand bottles of water that we sent to churches in Newport and people who are in need in our area. We have eighty cases left to distribute.”
Hopeful Moments
Amidst steadfast efforts to service storm-devastated communities, Garrison’s team is trying to find a new home for one of his shelter’s most vulnerable refugees.“We are down to one person still in the shelter as her mobile home or RV got washed away in the floods. We are trying our best to get some donations or find someone that has an RV they would be willing to donate,” he said.
Collaborating with the local non-profit God’s Warehouse, Garrison said there’s an added layer of urgency for the woman who lost her mobile home because she’s dealing with cancer.
“I just pray that someone calls to donate an RV or whatever to help her,” Garrison said.
But with tragedy and chaos come inspiring moments of hope. One such instance that Garrison described involved a donation or “blessing box” the children’s ministry put together, which has received items like diapers, toothbrushes, and small toys.
“A 2-year-old boy was so excited to get an Elmo toothbrush. In the midst of potentially losing everything, just to see him get an Elmo toothbrush was moving. A lot of our staff loved it because he was just so over the moon to have that toothbrush,” he said.
The Salvation Army’s volunteers have also found inspiring moments amid long hours of helping storm-affected communities.
“In Tennessee, the organization is currently in Johnson City, serving Carter, Unicoi, Washington, Greene, and Cocke counties. The locations are chosen based on the areas perceived to have the greatest need,” a Salvation Army spokesperson told The Epoch Times by email.
The spokesperson said they’ve deployed 19 disaster workers who’ve given more than 300 hours of volunteer service so far. During that time, they’ve also witnessed heartwarming moments.
One of these occurred near a mobile kitchen unit outside flood-ravaged Newport. As a packed car of evacuated locals arrived at the food station, volunteers approached one of the young men, who identified himself only as Randy. He told the Salvation Army aid workers, “Just make sure they have some [food]. I’m not really deserving of much help.”
Hearing this, one of the volunteers sat down and talked with Randy, who opened up about his struggles with addiction and efforts to get clean over the past year and a half. Talking with the aid workers, who offered prayers for his struggle, brought a smile to Randy’s face. He was profoundly moved by their kind-hearted dedication to serving more than just food during the crisis.
The organization also tries to offer emotional support to disaster victims.
More Relief Inbound
On Oct. 2, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced that his request for an expedited major disaster declaration was approved. This frees up additional resources and assistance to eight counties.“State and local officials, first responders, and volunteers continue to provide critical support to impacted Tennessee communities following significant flood damage,” Gov. Lee said in an official statement.
“As Tennesseans begin the rebuilding process, I thank our federal partners for granting resources to further our severe weather response and recovery in Northeast Tennessee.”
An estimated 200 soldiers in the Tennessee National Guard are also providing “24-hour ground and aerial rescue support” in conjunction with the state’s Emergency Management Agency.
Meanwhile, non-profits and civilian-led efforts from out of state are making their way to the Helene disaster zone in Tennessee.
“I just felt like I needed to do something since my neighbor a few states over is in desperate need of help,” Rachael Paulson, founder of Hands On The World Global, told The Epoch Times in a call.
Paulson’s Texas-based organization works to create sustainable drinking water solutions in impoverished areas worldwide. When she heard about Helene’s destruction, she quickly pivoted from her existing project and started making phone calls.
“As soon as it [Helene] happened, I got online and started doing my research. I was in the middle of helping get a well installed in Zambia, where kids are digging for water with their hands,” she said.
Reaching out to her friend Michael Gonelli, the mayor of Secaucus, New Jersey, they managed to coordinate a large truck full of supplies that will arrive at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Northeastern Tennessee on Oct. 11.
Paulson is trying to coordinate additional resources such as water filtration systems to go with the truck since she understands water scarcity all too well.
“Whatever they’re drinking right now [in Tennessee] is likely poisoned,” she said. Paulson also learned while coordinating the supply truck that most people in Tennessee were completely blindsided by Helene’s heavy rainfall.
“Most of them didn’t even know it was coming their way,” she said.
Avalanche of Support
The outpouring of volunteer assistance and donations in Tennessee has been extraordinary in the aftermath of Helene.Garrison said 30 athletes connected with his church from Carson Newman University went to help with the recovery of destroyed homes. “What that means is they will be shoveling mud out, finding the furniture and getting it out, cutting out drywall, and more,” he explained.
But with the flood of support come logistical complications. “In terms of our biggest challenge from a leadership perspective, there are a lot of people who want to help. It’s finding avenues to employ people’s help and to deploy them. Just getting that infrastructure set up,” Garrison explained.
He said sending volunteers to places where they can do the most good can be a hurdle because it requires a lot of coordinating. Everything from debris removal to cleaning out destroyed homes and removing trees has been offered.
“When you tell people one of the greatest things you can do is to give donations, because a lot of times those donations can get people new clothes, new food, new necessities, it sounds cliché, but that’s probably the greatest way to help,” Garrison said.
The spokesperson for the Salvation Army echoed this sentiment.
“With such widespread devastation, the need for resources like food, water, and cleanup kits is strong.”
