Trade, Tenn. residents push through flood recovery

TRADE, Tenn. (WJHL) – Devastation from Hurricane Helene is still clearly visible in Johnson County. For the residents of Trade, the effects are everywhere.

“[There’s a] disruption of daily life,” said Ashley Gallaher, owner of ZRC Skates in Trade. “Disruption of everything you can think of.”

Across the community, roads have been damaged and buildings destroyed. For many, the damage made leaving their homes a challenge.

“It was difficult,” said Clay Cundiff, a resident of Trade. “We couldn’t leave the property for a few days until I cut some trees down and take some stumps out with my jeep to make a pass out through the neighboring neighborhood.”

The need in the community inspired Gallaher to open her business as a place for donations.

“From day one after the waters receded,” said Gallaher. “I was like, ‘I have a warehouse. These are hard to come by. I want to use it.'”

From there, Gallaher partnered with Valentine Reilly, who owns KindDesigns Screen Printing. They both decided to do what they could to help relieve the needs of the community.

“These people who don’t have jobs anymore because the business they worked for washed away,” said Reilly. “[They] don’t need to be concerned about how they’re going to get their diapers. And so we’re trying to create a solution that is going to help solve the problem between the need for items.”

While the donations help the community, some have seen damage that can’t be replaced.

Country Store Antiques is located next to Roan Creek, which rose and completely swept through the store, bringing destruction with it.

“There’s telephone poles inside of our building that washed inwards,” said Shawn Vernon. Vernon owns the store with his parents. “There’s anywhere from two to three inches of mud in one location, up to a foot thick of mud in another.”

Vernon said the future for them is unknown.

“We’ve got buildings that have definitely got to be demolished and tore down,” Vernon said.

Information about the donation center at ZRC Skate can be found here.

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