Carter County resident Joy Lambert sits in a folding chair in the parking lot of a small church. Her 13-year-old Jack Russell terrier, “Baby Dog,” lays in her lap. She gazes out at the plot of land where her trailer home once stood, before flood waters swept it off its foundation and thrashed it into nearby trees.
“I was here when it went down, when it lost its foundation,” Lambert said. “I was here when it went, and by the grace of the Lord I’ll be here when they tear it down.”
The home now rests at an angle, with a large gash torn through the middle. It’s one of a dozen other houses that met a similar fate along a residential street in the town of Hampton. Lambert watches as her husband, Karlas, works to clear it out, and salvage what remains.
All over East Tennessee, communities like Hampton and families like the Lamberts have experienced devastating flooding not seen in generations. Waters rose to record levels, killing at least 11 and causing millions of dollars of damage. At many as 27 people are still missing.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for eight counties as hundreds of thousands went without power, clean tap water or reliable cell service. The declaration will help residents in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties get grants and loans for home repairs, and other programs designed to help people and businesses recover.
Governor Bill Lee assessed the damage in Greene and Cocke counties earlier this week, after facing criticism for his slow reaction to the flood.
“It’s evident that something historically horrific has happened here,” Lee said, in response to the damage.
As government aid reaches affected areas, community members are stepping up to help each other. Greene County has been without tap water for a week after the Nolichucky River rose by 60 feet and crippled the county’s water supply. Residents like pastor Bob Radank have stepped in to help clear debris and pass out water.
“I just came from an area where we're cleaning up a bunch of logs, and I was deep in the mud and then I came straight from there to here,” Radank said. “And I'm not smelling too great.”
County residents Nancy Daniels and Josephine Roberts arrived two hours early to a gas station where they heard they could get water.
“We’re managing,” Roberts said. “Because there’s people a lot worse than we are.”
In Carter County, many communities remain cut-off and isolated due to road outages and a lack of phone service. Public Information Officer Ivan Sanders said it’s been hard to reach people who are in the most need.
“We had about seven or eight [helicopters] on the weekend that were flying supplies including generators, water, non-perishable food,” Sanders said. “So you can get stuff in. It’s just hard to get those people out.”
Despite the extreme losses being felt by the region, Sanders said the community has been able to come together in a way that wouldn’t be possible under other circumstances.
“I think that this has really been a blessing in disguise,” Sanders said. “It just pulled folks together that normally wouldn't have worked together in the past.”
People helping people
Back in Carter County, Joy Lambert said they’ve had to throw out most of their belongings. Tears welled in her eyes as she recalled all that she lost.
“My husband, in a few years, was wanting to retire,” Lambert said. “I don’t know what he’ll do after this. I don’t know. But we’ll get a home back. We’ll get back.”
A steady hand reached out to comfort her in response. It belongs to Mary Parmer, who didn’t know the Lamberts before their home was destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene over the weekend.
“This lady went and got a sweet tea and water for me, so I’m good to go,” Lambert said. “And she even got the dog some.”
Parmer was sitting in the parking lot of the Hampton Church of God, right next to Joy Lambert and her dog, for days. She said that the Lamberts need someone right now, as they work to recover.
“If he doesn’t take a break, he’s gonna go out,” Parmer’s husband, Nelson, said, watching as Karlas Lambert carried scrap out of his home.
“He will. He’ll lay down for a while,” Mary replied.
Nelson is the pastor of the church. He and Mary live a few miles outside of town. When they learned that Hampton was hurting, they came down and took food out of their church’s flooded basement to give to other churches and volunteer organizations in the area.
“We were amazed,” Parmer said. “We got about [three inches] of water in the basement … and I just said, ‘Hey, that’s God telling me to take that food, take it over there and let them cook it.’”
The Lamberts say they’re thankful that they have support from their community during a time of need.
“I thank the Lord for them,” Lambert said. “And I know that the Lord will reward them somewhere down the line in their life … and pay them back.”
Kentucky Public Radio Reporter Justin Hicks contributed to this story.
This story was produced in partnership with the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom.