Hurricane Helene donations like money, propane, dehumidifiers are needed

Three weeks out from the storm, the needs of East Tennesseans impacted by Hurricane Helene have changed, and there are still ways to help.

Bristol Motor Speedway is serving as the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center, a designation made in coordination with TEMA. Donations have been pouring in, and the center is working to distribute them to communities affected by catastrophic flooding that occurred in late September.

Since the earliest days after flooding in East Tennessee counties, the center has amassed huge amounts of supplies, such as water and paper products. Now, organizers are calling for specific items for which they've observed a particular need as the recovery process evolves for those in flood-damaged areas.

Most other supplies already have been donated and collected in such large quantities that the center no longer needs more, said Becky Cox, vice president of communications at Bristol Motor Speedway. Plentiful items in stock now include cleaning items, detergents, rakes, food, water, diapers and pet supplies.

Some counties have reached capacity on donated items because of donors' generosity and have had to send their extras to the speedway. Those supplies are being kept in storage pods labeled with each county's name in case they're needed in the future.

What happens to items that aren't distributed at the end of this process? Right now, the plan is to keep them at least through the end of the year, but when the center reaches a point when the need has diminished, supplies will be divided up among the region's nonprofits, Cox said.

Time and money are key resources that can be donated.

Cox recognizes that folks can be wary when it comes to making financial donations, but she said those will be important when it comes to rebuilding. People will need help paying workers to tear out and replace drywall and sheetrock, and that need is rising as time goes on.

“That’s why monetary donations are going to be even more crucial here as we get over this initial hump," Cox explained.

For those interested in making a financial donation, Cox said TEMA has cited the following organizations that will be instrumental in rebuilding:

The East Tennessee Foundation is collecting monetary disaster relief donations, which can be made online or via check. Checks can be made payable to East Tennessee Foundation with Neighbor to Neighbor in the memo line and mailed to: East Tennessee Foundation, 520 W. Summit Hill Drive, Suite 1101, Knoxville, TN 37902.

Volunteers are needed at the speedway, and are expected to be needed for the next several months. Those interested in signing up can do so at volunteer-united.org. In addition to listing volunteer opportunities in Bristol, the site also shares county-specific volunteer options, such as general cleanup and repairs.

Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email [email protected].

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