Three East Tennessee companies devastated by Hurricane Helene in fall 2024 are set to receive an unprecedented million-dollar infusion each to help rehire workers and resume production.
Gov. Bill Lee and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced the Unicoi County factories will receive grants totaling more than $4 million to retain and retrain employees who lost jobs after the hurricane destroyed factories last September.
“Hurricane Helene was an unprecedented disaster for our state, and one year later, many Tennesseans remain forever changed by the loss of life and severe flood damage,” Lee said in a statement.
All three companies are located along the Nolichucky River in Erwin Riverview Industrial Park and are either in the preliminary stages of resuming work or preparing to restart, according to the state.
The grants mark the first time the Economic and Community Development Department has provided funds after a natural disaster for companies to keep employees and retrain them, according to McWhorter.