Dyer Countians rally to help victims of Hurricane Helene

Wendy Knott and family delivered loads of goods to victims of the storm

Photo/submitted

WILLIAM NORTHCUTT

Staff Reporter

Dyer Countians have already delivered food, water, clothing, and other essentials to the storm victims of Helene that ripped through Florida and wrought destruction and death in several states, including East Tennessee and the Carolinas. More donations are still to be delivered. The Dyer County Sheriff’s Office, TCAT-Northwest (Tennessee College of Applied Technology), and Dyersburg Free have have collected essentials, and a coalition of FFA groups have been gathering feed for livestock, fencing materials, and other items that farmers lost in the storm.

The Sheriff’s Office has coordinated with other Tennessee sheriff’s departments, and together they have delivered such items as flashlights, batteries, water, cleaning and hygiene products, and medical supplies. TCAT-Northwest, along with the other TCAT institution, collected water. Other area groups have taken supplies and food.

Wendy Knott, administrator of the charitable Facebook group Dyersburg Free, gathered donations from individuals and businesses, and she, her family, and volunteers delivered them to the East Tennessee town of Erwin. Before the delivery, Knott said, “We have already collected tons of food…and we were able to get a very large donation.” She and her husband and children delivered what she said was “ an abundance of food wipes, chainsaws, tents, hygiene items, rakes, blankets, clothing, water, toilet paper, totes large storage bags, containers, trash bags, baby formula, and more.”

The goods were delivered with their own 20-foot enclosed trailer and at least one large truck from Dyersburg U-Haul. She said about U-Haul, “They’re awesome guys to work with.” She also mentioned supporters who contributed as numerous Dyersburg Free members, Michael Simmons with Ultimate Gavel, Norman Farms Excavation and Hauling, Wesley Homes, Dave’s Discount in Jackson, the Sportsplex, and other people in the area.

Area farmer Allen Permenter has been working with Dyer County School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter to gather necessities for the East Tennessee farmers. He said, they have coordinated with Covington FFA, Munford FFA, Riverside FFA, Brighton FFA, Dresden FFA, Weakley County FFA, and Henry County FFA. In a plea on social media, Permenter wrote, “We are looking for livestock supplies, these items do not have to be new--good usable used items will be greatly appreciated. We are looking for fencing supplies, chainsaws, water pumps, generators, TPost, wire, electric fence, gas jugs, gloves, hammers, water trough, fence staples, sacks of feed.”

Permenter told the State Gazette, “People forget about the livestock, and that’s where countless families there make their living.” He remarked, “And they’ve lost literal every barns, hay, houses, and livestock.”

Stating, “They’re going to have to contain livestock and horses and feed them,” Permenter said that many of the fields are covered in a foot of sand, that horses need special hay grown in these fields.

He expects to take the supplies on Saturday, October 13, so donations will be taken through Saturday. He said, “We expect to take a turnaround trip, and if we get an abundance of supplies, we’ll make another trip later on.”

“I’ve lost my crop several times,” he said, “so this hits home.”