Cocke County mayor shares update as recovery efforts continue in Helene aftermath

NEWPORT, Tenn. (WATE) — As recovery efforts continue, Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis shared an update on Monday just after 1:15 p.m.

He started by sharing a list of impassable roads, warning people to avoid these areas at all costs:

• Rock Hill Road on the 321 Side
• Trail Hollow Road at the river
• Wheat Road
• Fugate Road
• Old River Road
• Waterville Road
• O’Neill at the river
• Pleasant Grove Road at the river
• Shady Road
• Good Water
• Step Road

He added that Nob Creek Bridge on the Cocke/Greene County line has been washed away.

Next, he shared that they are working to get the power back on and the water restored, adding that they believe the sewer system to be in good shape.

“I just talked to TVA. They came down here personally. They’ve got a pump that’s going to be delivered down there. They’re dedicating resources and personnel to us to try to get our water on. They know how critical this is. Which leads us to the next thing until that water comes back on, we are preparing for this to be an extended outage for water,” said Mathis.

For those in need of water, it will be available at 613 West Broadway in Newport will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mathis added that it is limited to two cases per household. Donations are also being gathered around East Tennessee to send to Cocke County residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. To find drop-off locations, click here .

Next, he shared that all dumpsters with flood debris need to be taken to the GFL landfill in Morristown. Mathis added that people will be charged, so be prepared with a credit or debit card.

“We got to stay positive, got to stay united again and stay strong. We do those three things and I know I see this every time, but we’re going to come out of this stronger than we ever were before. We’re going to come together like we never thought we could and we’re going to find that piece of ourselves that we didn’t know existed,” said Mathis.

The county has also received four squad cars from the Franklin and Coffee County Sheriff’s Departments. This comes after the county lost nine vehicles in the flood : seven Cocke County Sheriff’s cruisers, one fire truck and one rescue squad truck.

Cocke County was among the East Tennessee counties most impacted by the tropical system on Friday, which moved through Georgia after the Category 4 hurricane hit Florida late Thursday.

During an update Sunday evening, Mathis shared that two people had died and there were no more missing persons in the area . He said the county is still working to assess the damage, get the power back on and restore water service to everyone.

Three additional deaths were confirmed by the TEMA, one in Unioci County and one in Johnson County .

Several roads were impacted by the flood waters, with both the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) working on clearing road debris, bridges, repairs and more.

Newport Utilities declared a state of emergency on Sunday for all water operations and asked customers to observe critical water conservation protocols . Saturday morning FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance was available to Tennessee after President Joe Biden approved an Emergency Declaration for Tennessee.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated.

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