KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Hurricane Helene brought devastation to the Southeast, leaving some communities cut off and killing more than a dozen people. However, as work continues to help communities pick up the pieces after the storm, hundreds of people are trying to help those affected.
“First thing I thought of was, ‘I have the equipment, I have the manpower and know-how, so I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing,'” said Harlan Jones, who owns a lawn care service.
Jones is from Kingsport and his business is located in Knoxville. After East Tennessee and Western North Carolina started feeling the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene, Harlan knew he and his crew had to help.
They started working in Cosby and went east.
“Once we went to Greenville, the devastation was pretty bad so we knew a one-day thing wasn’t going to work," he said. “One day turned into five days over there in Burnsville and Spruce Pine.”
Jones and his crew spent several days cleaning up debris and downed trees.
“We just started door knocking and stopping, checking on people to see if people were okay," he said.
Jones didn’t get paid for any of the work he did cleaning up, and he said he wasn't trying to make money through the work.
“As (the) Tennessee Volunteers, it’s what we are known for," he said. “I couldn’t imagine if this happened to me, and hopefully someone would help me out.”