WAVERLY, Tenn. (WKRN) -- Hurricane Helene led to 17 deaths in East Tennessee, according to officials, leaving a number of families without their loved ones. It's a tragedy all too familiar for residents in Waverly, who experienced their own deadly flooding in 2021.
Now, the Waverly community is coming together, compiling a second round of donations for East Tennessee storm victims.
Owners of the Waverly Cash Saver are now collecting their second round of donations, after sending a trailer full of items to Johnson County last month.
"When we went through this and we lost our business, we had thousands of volunteer manhours and people down here cleaning floors, sweeping; we had volunteer electricians," Cash Saver co-owner John Curtis explained. "This is not about us and our business. This is about our community taking an opportunity to give back because of what was given to us."
Humphreys County lost 20 people during the 2021 floods, including Wayne Spears, a beloved foreman at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. His widow, Louise Spears, showed up to Cash Saver on Sunday, Nov. 3 to write a message on the side of the trailer heading back to East Tennessee.
"It's so hard. You don't want to look at the videos, and then you keep looking at them, and you keep looking at them, and you think, 'Okay, why are you doing this and putting yourself through it?'" Louise said.
She encouraged East Tennesseans to not give up hope, and assured them that silver linings would surface.
"This town has went through so much and have came together so good, and this is still hard. This place right here has made the biggest impact," Louise said, pointing to Cash Saver.
Curtis plans to take the second round of donations to the Mountain City area in mid-November. Currently, the store is accepting cold weather gear donations, along with children's books and Bibles. Monetary and grocery donations can also be made by contacting Cash Saver through the store's Facebook page.
Furthermore, Curtis offered his knowledge to any business owners needing to rebuild from scratch.
Donation coordinators request that no clothing be donated at this time.
In addition to the grocery store’s collection, the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office has also made multiple trips to assist East Tennessee, sharing the knowledge gained during the Waverly flood recovery.