A year after Helene, Long-Term Recovery Group still getting new cases

More than 13 months after Helene ravaged Johnson County and the southern Appalachian Mountains, the recovery efforts aren't slowing down. In fact, they're speeding up.When current Johnson County LTRG Outreach Coordinator, Case Manager and Director Chassie Timbs started training for her positions, she was told that after the initial impact, full recovery could take five years and longer. Currently, more than a year post-Helene, the LTRG is working through one person or family at a time, trying to set them up for long-term success."People just got to be patient with us and work with us and we can make it work," Timbs said."We are all a team, we pitch in to wherever the work is needed and we try to make everybody feel comfortable," Johnson County LTRG Director of Administration and Finance Rebecca Wright said. "Because that's what we're here for. We're not here for us, we're here for them."More and more casesWith 160 open cases and a waiting list, Timbs said they can't get someone through the system quickly. Then, it depends on the urgency level. Critical repairs like roof damage gets bumped up. As of late October, 81 cases had been closed. In total, 1,242 people have been reached out to.Wright says the organization is making sure they're with the people throughout the process."You have that up, and then you have that down where everything's kind of settled, you're thinking, 'well, how long is it going to take?' Wright said. "And then we try to keep in contact with them to know where they're at in the process."One issue LTRG faces is that some people are too prideful to seek help. Sellers feels the number of people rescued is more than what's been reported because of that pride.Reda Sellers, assistant to the director at Johnson County LTRG, said at least half the cases are people needing some kind of housing, "whether it be to get them in a camper, temporary, or us being able to find somebody that has a home that will let us either use it or rent it, whatever, through the winter."Sellers said some people are living in tents."There are a lot of people that were living on the edge anyway and this just put them over the edge," Sellers said.Out of those active cases, 12 are ongoing new builds, Wright said, which are "from the foundation up." Those include mobile homes, stick-built homes and the Amish-built homes.Houses have been completed, with one recently done in the Antioch community."We're also doing bridges, culverts, driveways, everything," Wright said.Volunteer groups keep on coming into Johnson County, many of them faith-based, to help with the rebuilding.Timbs said recently she came in contact with people who didn't know the LTRG existed. Many of the new people are coming from the areas further out in the county, such as Laurel Bloomery, Shady Valley and Butler."When you contact one and you start helping that one, everybody in their area will start seeing that we are here, we are helping [and that] we are not scammers," Timbs said.Stories and sightsWright said every cases in unique in its own way."I know a gal, you know, had to leave in the middle of the night because the water was coming into the house," Sellers said.Sellers recounted another lady who saw the waters rising and told her husband to go and be OK for the kids and grandkids, but the husband said "no" and got her out as well.''Sellers said after Helene, she and Timbs went into homes she'd never knew were in Johnson County and saw places covered in mold and witnessed residents with breathing issues and other medical problems."I tell you, it put a whole new focus on me because I didn't get affected by the storm," Sellers said. "I was in a couple days without power, but what's that compared to what people have said."Going into winterEven though Helene happened over a year ago, people are still showing up asking for help."We are seeing a lot of an influx right now because they thought they could handle it," Wright said.Coats are the top winter priority, Sellers said, then blankets, bedding sheet sets, comforters and things like that.Other needs are building supplies as well as medical supplies.Wright pointed out the need for propane tanks, winterizing campers, plus clothes. Alos, with people transitioning into new homes, they will need household items."We have kitchen stuff, we have bedding, we have all kinds of building materials," Sellers said. "I have some clothes, not a lot of clothes…coast for the winter, all sizes from babies on up."One area that Timbs hopes to help is the home-schooling population, whom the county school system can't help out due to funding restrictions.Fear of being scammed is prevalent, which is something Timbs and others deal with regularly. A couple of the case managers have non-423-area-code numbers, so that becomes an obstacle. Timbs says she often gives people her own number so they can double-check to see if a volunteer case manager is legitimate.Unlike other groups, the Johnson County LTRG is doing this mostly operating on donations."We're doing this without any government money, we did not receive the governor's grant," Wright said, noting they did not receive any feedback from the state on why they didn't receive those grants.So far, the Johnson County LTRG has received $60,000 for "preparedness trailers" from a governor's grant, but that's it, Wright said.The LTRG is currently hosting a Toy Drive to help bring joy to local children this holiday season. People can drop off new, unwrapped toys only at the LTRG, located at 2303 S. Shady St., between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.