KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ( WATE ) — Answering the call from Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), a team of Knoxville first responders deployed early Monday morning to go and assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene that impacted East Tennessee.
The Knoxville Police Department shared on its social media Monday morning that a group of KPD and Knoxville Fire Search & Rescue team members were deployed to Washington County. They will assist in ground and search efforts, KPD said, and the deployment was in response to TEMA’s request for assistance.
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On Friday, Sept. 27 a weakened Hurricane Helene brought extreme rain and flooding to parts of East Tennessee and western North Carolina , impacting communities in the region as well as roadways that left some washed out by the rising river levels.
Several East Tennessee communities, especially in Cocke , Sevier, Jefferson, Greene and Unicoi counties, have been impacted by extreme flooding or excess floodwaters since Friday’s storms rolled through from a tropical system with Hurricane Helene. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Tennessee due to the flooding, while the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has set up a missing persons hotline . Governor Bill Lee visited the impacted areas on Saturday.