KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An additional $3.5 million is heading to upper East Tennessee to help communities devastated by historic flooding.
The Boyd Foundation said it would donate a total of $3.5 million to four impacted counties. In a release, it said it would give $1 million to Carter, Unicoi and Cocke counties. It also said it would give $500,000 to Johnson County.
The Boyd Foundation is a charity consisting of members of the Boyd family. A release said it includes Jenny Boyd, Randy Boyd, Thomas Boyd, Lindsey Boyd and Harrison Boyd.
Randy said in the release that he and his wife have friends in the counties impacted by the storm, and said they drove out to meet with mayors and community leaders on Oct. 5 to ask about what the counties needed to recover. In the release, he said needs varied from barbed wire for cattle fencing to computers for schools.
The release said Elizabethton Mayor Patty Woodby told the Boyd family that Hampton had lost its high school and the 450 students who attended it were now in the elementary school, without any computers and with a shortage of books.
The release also said 14 of Carter County's 21 bridges had been destroyed. The town's Cat Island Park was also gone. It had tennis courts and ball parks the community could use for recreation.
The release also said the Elk Mills and Posy communities were cut off and had supplies being brought in with Black Hawk helicopters.
Johnson County Mayor Larry Potter also told them the county needed fencing for farm animals, and the county was facing an issue of families without shelter.
Similar issues lingered in Cocke County, where the Boyd Foundation said it was told 250 homes were unlivable and all the local restaurants were closed. It also said the county offices were beyond repair and needed to be relocated.
Unicoi County saw some of the most severe damage, according to the release. It said it lacked adequate water systems and the animal shelter was destroyed. Around 60% of its industrial park was also gone, the release said. Eighteen homes were destroyed and more than 100 others had serious damage, the release said.
