NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Flash flooding Wednesday night brought painful flashbacks to East Tennessee communities still rebuilding from Hurricane Helene's devastation last September. A mudslide covered Interstate 40 near the same spot that had recently reopened in March after Helene's damage.
"It was sudden, I was here in my office in Newport and the sun was shining," said Spring Duckett, who leads recovery efforts in Cocke County.
The sudden storm quickly escalated into an emergency situation.
"People calling and texting each other, 'What's going on, what's flooding?'" Duckett said.
East Tennessee Foundation CEO Keith Barber, whose organization funds Duckett's long-term recovery efforts in Cocke County, emphasized the compounding nature of these disasters.
"It's a double whammy — Cocke County has not recovered from Helene," Barber said.
Swift water rescues and flooding on Wednesday added damage to an already vulnerable community. But the impact extends beyond physical destruction.
"In our recovery efforts with Helene, we have found that there are a number of individuals, no matter the age, that really have been affected mentally by these issues because they are traumatic," Duckett said.
She noted that severe storms like Wednesday's are becoming more frequent in the region.
"You would think it's just an afternoon rain, and then it is inches and huge swaths of water coming down," Duckett said.
The scale of the ongoing recovery effort remains enormous.
"Helene itself was the most complex natural disaster in the history of the United States," Duckett said.
Barber hopes Middle Tennessee residents will keep their eastern neighbors in mind.
"We'll consider this one of the disasters, and we will help with this one as well," Barber said.
TDOT estimates this area around Mile Marker 451, near the North Carolina border, should open in a few weeks to one lane in each direction.
Have you been affected by the recent flooding in East Tennessee? Share your experiences and photos with Kim Rafferty at kim.rafferty@newschannel5.com to help raise awareness about the ongoing challenges facing communities still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
This story was reported by Kim Rafferty and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Kim and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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