In East Tennessee on Tuesday, Gov. Bill Lee viewed a buckled road damaged by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Photo: Brandon Hull/Office of the Governor)
Tennessee deaths from Hurricane Helene rose to 12 over the weekend, with 15 people still unaccounted for, according to a Sunday evening update from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
The inland toll of the devastating hurricane continues to come into focus more than a week after it first unleashed a barrage of wind and flooding across northeast Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
State and federal officials have stressed that federal and state aid is on the ground and continuing in an effort to counter misinformation spread about the purported inaction by federal disaster relief efforts.
Individuals in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties continue to apply for FEMA assistance, which became available October 2, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
More than 3,300 Tennesseans registered for the aid thus far, which can be applied to rent, home repair, and personal property replacement. The aid can help both those without insurance and to cover insurance coverage gaps for those do have a policy.
Basic infrastructure remains a challenge in hard-hit counties
Three wastewater treatment plants are reporting ongoing problems. They include plants in Hamblen, Johnson County and Unicoi counties.
Twenty drinking water facilities have reported “operational issues,” and 15 water utilities in northeast Tennessee have issued “boil water” advisories.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation reports its crews are continuing to assess damage, inspect all state-owned roads and bridges, and repair routes in the most severely impacted counties, including Washington, Carter, Unicoi, Johnson, Greene, and Cocke
“Long-term closures will be in place across the region as many routes will require significant repairs and for others, a total rebuild,” state officials reported Sunday.
Investigations by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration remain ongoing over reports by employees of Impact Plastics who claimed they were prevented from leaving their shifts by their bosses as floodwaters rose around the Unicoi County plant. Company officials have disputed those claims.
At least three Impact Plastics workers died during the flooding and others remain missing as recovery efforts enter a second week.
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