National Guard helps clear debris in Unicoi County

UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Tennessee National Guard has been hard at work clearing debris in Unicoi County after fatal floods destroyed part of the interstate and knocked out power for thousands of people.

News Channel 11 spoke with Lieutenant Colonel Meredith Richardson of the Army National Guard.

Richardson said once the ravaged area along Interstate 26 has been cleared, line trucks can enter the area and begin restoring power.

“This is very personal to us,” Richardson said. “This is our community; we’re Tennesseans, right along with everybody else that’s out here. These are our neighborhoods. So we are here to help, and as long as that requirement is out there, we’re going to be here to help.”

According to Richardson, the National Guard will remain in the area to help with recovery efforts as long as they are needed.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) announced in its last update on Monday night that six flood-related deaths had been confirmed, three of which were in Unicoi County.

The flooding wiped out several bridges in Northeast Tennessee in addition to I-26. The Tennessee Department of Transportation provided the following list of destroyed bridges on Tuesday:

• Washington SR-81 Nolichucky River Bridge
• Washington SR-353 Nolichucky River Bridge
• Greene SR-107 Nolichucky River Bridge
• Unicoi I-26 Bridge @MM 39.6 Eastbound
• Unicoi I-26 Bridge @MM 39.6 Westbound

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