Tennessee general store becomes a post-Helene relief hub and a gauge for what work remains

The Sugar Hollow General Store and Café − which locals still call its former name, the Elk Mills General Store − has become a hub of activity in Carter County following floods caused by Hurricane Helene.

Before, it was a gathering spot for residents of Bob's Island, Poga and Elk Mills to pick up odds and ends, whether that be food or household products. Local resident Kelley Carter called it "the center of the community."

Now, the store is more like a base for collecting and distributing supplies that have become necessary since the Sept. 27 flooding. Surrounding the store are trailers of canned goods, camp stoves, medical supplies, baby products, gas, propane and food for pets and livestock. The site also is equipped with shower trailers, hot meals and Starlink internet.

The National Guard, using Blackhawk helicopters, has regularly dropped supplies outside the store, near where the Elk Mills-Poga Volunteer Fire Department used to stand before being destroyed by flooding.

Across from the store, the river bank has been washed out. A section of Highway 321 less than a mile down the road has been reduced to one lane, its other half broken off by the strength of the Elk River.

What is damage like in the area?

Parts of the area are best reached with an ATV or UTV, unless you're willing to travel on long, out-of-the-way routes. Most families are still without power in these communities.

In Carter County, eight cell towers were destroyed, and about 14 bridges were lost. Although there were no flood-related deaths in the county, more than 650 homes in Carter County had been assessed and declared damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene as of Oct. 3.

Some things have improved since Helene reached Tennessee on Sept. 27. Part of Heaton Branch Road was filled in by the community after being damaged where it connects to the Jack Campbell Bridge. The bridge leads to Poga Road, pronounced Pogie by locals.

Restoring the road has allowed vehicles to cross through and reach further into Elk Mills and Poga.

Chipping in to help in the Volunteer State

It's not just local volunteers. Folks from nearby areas, distant Tennessee cities − even from as far away as Florida, Kentucky and Virginia − have made their way to the store to offer help, said Carter, who is helping to coordinate volunteer efforts.

Volunteers first arrived Sept. 27, and some people have returned day after day to lend a hand.

“We’ve all come together as one, no matter where we’re from or financial situation or anything, everyone is here to pitch in,” Carter said. "In this day and time, people are so caught up in their own lives. But when something like this happens, it hits their heartstrings and they just really want to help."

Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby, who grew up in the area, traveled on Black Hawk helicopter drops and helped guide the National Guard to what she calls the communities' "nooks and crannies." She knows her people are resilient and has been reminded "just how resourceful our mountain people are."

"As long as we're getting supplies in there, they will be very resourceful," she said. "I'm super proud of Carter County. ... I really think this is gonna bring our community closer."

Mike Rice lives nearby and works remotely for Microsoft. He was essential in providing the area with Starlink internet access, which residents have relied on for communication. Rice collected six of the Starlinks that have been used in these communities and drove them down from the Washington, D.C., area, he said.

'We're just doing our best'

It's not just the closest communities that are receiving support from the general store base.

"We're trying to reach everybody we can reach. Doesn't matter what county you're in," said Doug Carter, Kelley's husband, who's also helping coordinate volunteer efforts.

"If we hear of a need, we'll get it there if no one else has," Kelley added.

Some volunteers have formed their own teams, leaving together from the general store on ATVs and UTVs, the primary mode of transportation in the area for both residents and those who have traveled there to help.

Chris Wiley said he and Austin Droit came from southern Illinois to Carter County after seeing the extent of damage on Twitter and TikTok. They met Rogersville natives Melanie Range and her 12-year-old daughter, Kynzlee Tester, at Walmart while buying supplies to donate.

The group of four combined forces with Dallas Townsend, of Jonesborough, along with his dog Lady May. Kyle Mahoney, of Oliver Springs, also joined the group after striking up a conversation at the local Tractor Supply.

"Everybody's pitched in and bought stuff," Townsend said.

They departed the general store Oct. 4 on a mission to find a man in Beech Mountain, North Carolina, who needed supplies, particularly for his wounded hand. The group had only the name of his street to go on.

Dark Ridge Road, about a 30-minute UTV drive from the general store, has been damaged by flooding. There are several houses, and the crew drove by each one to look for the wounded man.

They heard he had children, which made a wood-sided home with kids' toys in the yard a strong contender. But when Mahoney knocked on the door, no one answered.

It wasn't until the convoy knocked on the door of a house up the road that they confirmed their original suspicions. The wood-sided house was the right one, but the man wasn't home, likely having traveled to a nearby community center for a hot meal.

Townsend and Droit drove the UTVs back, and the crew deposited supplies on the doorstep, including a camp stove, propane, food, paper products, socks, wound care items, backpacks and plush stuffed animals for the children.

Back in Tennessee, Mahoney reflected on the day: "You'll never get everything everywhere. We're just doing our best."

Need for basic supplies lessens, desire for normalcy grows

Eight days into relief efforts, people in hard-to-reach areas had received many of the supplies they needed. Some things, such as food and fuel, will need to be restocked. But the urgency has started to dissipate.

Two volunteers who traveled from Crossville, Robin Abram and Greg Ray, arrived at the general store Oct. 5, ready to help the community. But as they began knocking on doors and checking in on locals, they found some already had enough supplies.

"One family was like, 'We're good, we got everything we need,'" Ray said.

As of Oct. 5, some supplies that are no longer needed were slated to be sent from the general store to Bristol Motor Speedway. The speedway is the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center, a designation coordinated alongside TEMA.

Maureen Payne has lived down the road from the general store since 1979. Right now, her focus isn't on supplies.

"Everybody keeps saying, 'What do you need, what do you need?'" she said. "I need electricity."

Fire chief Mike Walsh grew up in the Elk Mills community and spent most of his life on Bob’s Island. At age 16, he joined the Elk Mills-Poga Volunteer Fire Department as its first junior member in 1991.

Walsh is proud of the self-reliance of his community, from beginning operations at the general store base to rebuilding roads. He's also grateful for volunteers who have traveled in to offer help, but he believes it's time for a new phase of recovery to begin.

"Once the electricity comes back on, you won’t hardly hear anything out of people anymore,” he said.

Until then, at least 12 people have been killed across the state by Hurricane Helene and its subsequent flooding as of Oct. 6. Fifteen more remain unaccounted for, including three people in Carter County.

Reporting from Carter County, Hayden Dunbar is the Knox News storyteller reporter. Email hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee general store becomes a post-Helene relief hub and a gauge for what work remains