“Many have lost everything, but we also saw churches and non-profits and neighbors stepping up and helping their neighbors clean up,” Governor Bill Lee said.
UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee along with other state and local officials spent the day in the areas worst hit by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
Governor Lee, Senator Marsha Blackburn, Senator Bill Hagerty, and other leaders held a press conference along one of the highways that washed out in East Tennessee.
The governor started the press conference by saying the damage that he had seen was heartbreaking. He mentioned that so many Tennesseans lost everything and the clean-up and recovery are just getting started.
He said there is a long way to go, but it gives him hope to see everyone working together.
“Many have lost everything, but we also saw churches and non-profits and neighbors stepping up and helping their neighbors clean up,” he said.
Lee said there are 400 T-DOT workers surveying the hundreds of bridges in the area. He said they have already looked at 300 bridges.
There were 50 roads that were impassible at one point, Lee added, and now that number is down to 27.
He said this is just the beginning of the clean-up effort.
“There is a lot of work being done and there is a lot of work yet to do, but I’ve been very encouraged and impressed by the level of coordination that’s occurring across the state,” said Lee.