Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis has shared that two people are dead after flooding in the county in the aftermath of Helene.
NEWPORT, Tenn. (WATE) — Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis has shared that two people are dead after flooding in the county in the aftermath of Helene.
Mathis shared about the two deaths during an update on social media, adding that the county has no more missing persons. He said the county is still working to assess the damage, get the power back on and restore water service to everyone. In addition, Cocke County Schools are closed through Friday, Oct. 4.
“We still have people from Highway Patrol, other counties, all kinds of folks from all over the region are here to help us and we’re here to help you. And again, just as we did not rest until every single person was rescued, we will still not rest until every one of you gets the help that you need and this was resolved and God bless you all,” said Mathis.
Newport Utilities declared a state of emergency on Sunday, Sept. 29 for all water operations and asked customers to observe critical water conservation protocols.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance was available to Tennessee after President Joe Biden approved an Emergency Declaration for Tennessee.
The day before that, Mathis ordered downtown Newport to evacuate and declared a State of Emergency for Cocke County due to flooding.
Two additional weather-related deaths have been confirmed in the Volunteer State by the Tennessee Department of Health: one in Unioci County and one in Johnson County.
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