ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Unicoi County Long-Term Recovery Group (UCLTRG) held a public meeting to discuss how they can more efficiently assist Hurricane Helene survivors using various groups and resources.

The UCLTRG is a coalition of local organizations, businesses, nonprofits, churches and volunteers coordinating their resources to help those affected after disasters.

“Ultimately, one of the goals of the long-term recovery group is to kind of create a living room or reception area where people can step in and say, ‘here’s the skills I have, here’s the background that I have, maybe the resources I can bring. Put me where you need me,'” Nathan Farnor, the UCLTRG Chair, said.

Farnor said having this coalition helps connect organizations with different skill sets to fully assist survivors and help ensure no one falls through the cracks.

“When I think about a survivor that perhaps has lost their entire home, you may have a church that buys or donates some land,” Farnor said. “You may have a business in the community, a hardware company that donates the lumber and supplies and materials. You may have another nonprofit that says, ‘Hey, we’ll donate volunteer time to help do the work.’ Then we may have a volunteer contractor that steps up and says, ‘I’ll lead the project.’ So you’ve got four different entities, four different organizations. They’re coming together and that person is getting a new home. The goal of the long-term recovery group is to connect the needs to resources to ensure that the survivors or their needs are met and that they’re getting across the finish line.”

Unicoi County resident Janet Hensley said having a long-term recovery group is exciting for the community because of how much help is still needed.

She’s noticed how much Appalachian Trail hikers want to help out Unicoi County.

“I was in Maine at the end of the Appalachian Trail in northern Maine when I found out about the flood, and the very first people calling me were volunteers or hikers that were already packing up and coming to the county to volunteer or to Hot Springs or Damascus or Roan Mountain to help. Just to help because they wanted to help and give back,” Hensley said.

Hensley wants to start the “Zero Hero Hiker Challenge” so those who stop in Unicoi County on the Appalachian Trail can help with recovery efforts.

“Zero Hero came from the fact that on those days that they don’t hike. We call it a zero day. When someone’s not hiking and it’s a zero day, no trail miles were hiked that day,” Hensley said. “We want to encourage them to use some of those days to go help other people to volunteer locally, organically.”

Hensley said the hikers would make arrangements to get to volunteer opportunities. She believes the UCLTRG can help connect the hikers.

“Working with a group like this means that we can increase the opportunities that are available for people that want to work, and we can be more helpful to people that may have slipped through and only have small things that they need help with but desperately need help,” Hensley said. “Sometimes, that help is just having some hands helping you with the heavy lifting on your property because you’ve been doing it by yourself for so long.”

Hensley said it makes her proud to see hikers pouring back into the Unicoi County community.

To learn how to get involved with the Zero Hero Challenge, you can visit thepeoplearethetrail.org, visit Hensley’s Facebook page or contact her at 423-483-0620.

The UCLTRG also has multiple committees people can sign up for. The Finance and Donations Committee, Spiritual Committee, Advocacy Committee, Communications Committee, Case Management Committee, Economic, Workforce, and Environmental Committee, Volunteers Committee, Unmet Needs Committee and the Construction Committee.

You can find out how to serve on those committees by visiting the UCLTRG website or by emailing unicoicountyltrg@gmail.com.

Farnor told News Channel 11 that case managers will also be in place to help those affected by Helene.

“Our goal is that we can get some face time with every survivor, we can figure out how have they been helped already, what’s still on their list, what’s missing, and we can get them connected to the resources that they need,” Farnor said. “The number of survivors continues to increase. So if you are a survivor and you’re in Unicoi County and you still have some needs that haven’t been met, whatever they are, you’ve lost your job, you’re having a hard time paying for utilities and rent or other things. If you’re still waiting on an entire home. Please, please, please reach out to the Unicoi County Long-Term Recovery Group.”

Carter, Greene, Johnson, Washington and other counties affected by Hurricane Helene also have long-term recovery groups. Farnor encourages residents in those counties to reach out to them as they have the same mission.