By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
In an effort to assist with relief efforts across the Tri-Cities, and Appalachia as a whole, following Hurricane Helene, the Kingsport Chamber hosted Rep. Diana Harshbarger for a fundraiser luncheon.
In its first month of existence, Region A.H.E.A.D. raised $575,000 from individual and corporate donors. The goal, according to Region AHEAD chairman Andy Dietrich as of Oct. 28, is reaching over $1 million in donations. Eastman Credit Union agreed to match 100% of the donation.
The event, which occurred Oct. 21 at Food City on N. Eastman Rd. in The Model City, drew roughly 50 people.
After discussing her priorities in Washington in the coming months, like cutting regulatory red tape to help regional businesses, Harshbarger spent the majority of her 30-minute speech recapping Hurricane Helene and ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts across East Tennessee and the 1st Congressional District.
Harshbarger specifically commended the National Guard for their logistical expertise, especially the work occurring at Bristol Motor Speedway, serving as the first-of-its-kind districtwide distribution center and central staging area.
“It’s almost like, you couldn’t plan it any better to devastate a community and make it inoperable,” she claimed. “You have to prepare for those things, but nobody would think a hurricane in Tennessee would cause damage because we don’t have hurricanes, but we did. We have been on the ground since day 1, making sure that we have operational offices, EOCs, and emergency management teams. It’s a trickle effect through the economy of a district. Thank God the dams held.”
She reminded attendees that at one point during the storm, over 1.2 million gallons of water per second flowed over the Nolichucky Dam. In comparison, Niagara Falls’ peak daily flow is only half that amount.
Harshbarger says her business background will help her better serve her constituents than the government can.
“It’s all about relationships with businesses and people,” she said. “All I wanted to be is a credible source for these people to know that we are here to help you; let me walk you through that, and I’ll listen, and I’ve been everywhere, and I’ll be everywhere…You need a coordination hub. I worry about those small businesses, but I worry about those counties that don’t have an income base now because they were decimated.”
The congresswoman also warned about price gouging that has taken place in the flood’s aftermath and expressed concerns about people who lost their homes amid the region’s housing crisis.
She applauded the “generosity of people” we have witnessed in recent weeks and also took questions from the audience.
After the congresswoman’s speech concluded, Brince Manning, the Southeastern Region senior manager from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, presented Harshbarger with an award for being an “advocate for American business.”
