(WATE) — A Knoxville woman decided to head west to help survivors and those impacted by the storms in Obion and the surrounding Tennessee counties.
Sherry Eason has lived in Tennessee her entire life.
“I’m originally from Troy, Tennessee and I moved to Sevierville 20 years ago and I live in Knoxville now for the past year and a half,” she said.
Both her parents, one of her sons, and granddaughter still live in West Tennessee.
“It’s a very close-knit community,” she adds. “Everybody knows everybody.”
When she heard about the storms and the devastation her hometown is facing, she decided to pack up, head west and help in any way she could.
“I just, I said I can’t do this, I have to go home, I have to help my people if I can.”
When she got there she was met by friends who have lost everything.
“There’s nothing left, I mean there’s just nothing left,” said Eason. “The destruction is unbelievable.”
Eason said she spoke to the daughter of a 91-year-old man who decided to ride out the storm in his home. He was trying to make it to a safe place in his house when he got stuck in one of his always.
“The storm hit and it threw him to the ground. he uses a walker, it threw him to the floor in the hall and the hall was the only thing left standing.”
Eason said that man is okay. However, others didn’t make it or are unaccounted for
“We’re just having to take it a day at a time. There are still people missing, especially in the Mayfield area.”
She added that many who didn’t lose their home are without utilities,
“her [a friend] parents’ home is okay but they’ve been displaced for the time being because they’re elderly and they have no power, no water or anything.”
They don’t know when the service will be restored.
Now Eason is just trying to help pick up the pieces of what’s left of her hometown.
“You start digging through everything and there’s nothing left. there’s just nothing.”
Eason said the best way you can help people in these communities is to donate to disaster relief organizations. One local ministry in Obien County that is taking donations is Reelfoot Rural Ministries.
