Getting Prepared for Disasters Fair

PREPAREDNESS FAIR IN BALLPLAY COMMUNITY

What will you do if a snowstorm, flood, fire or tornado strikes your home? Will you be ready?  In association with National Preparedness Month, the Ballplay Ruritan Club will host the first annual "Getting Prepared for Disasters Fair" on Saturday, September 22nd. The fair will be from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Friends Meeting of Ballplay Fellowship Hall located at 157 Ballplay School Road, near the intersection of Ballplay Road and Highway 360 about 10 miles from Telllico Plains, TN.
 The fair will provide valuable information for planning and preparing for all kinds of disasters and emergencies with a variety of informational displays, classes, and demonstrations, while showcasing and promoting local businesses whenever possible.  Learn about your options for emergency power, cooking, heating, lighting and more! Additional details will be published as we confirm guest speakers and vendors attending this event.

Mark your calendars now and be sure to pass this on to family and friends in and around the Monroe County area.  To be a participant or for more information, contact John Pearson at 423-442-7053.  The event is free to the public and all are welcome to attend.

You Can Help!

The Relief Center at the Tellico Plains High School serving food.

Donations for tornado victims of Tellico Plains TN are now being collected at the Official FEMA Center:

New Providence Baptist Church
Fellowship Building
451 New Providence Rd
Tellico Plains TN 37385

Open for the next two weeks (March 26 - April 7):
Mondays and Wednesdays 12pm to 5pm
Saturdays 9am to 5pm.

Donations are still being accepted, and those who suffered loses in the tornado are welcome and encouraged to come for food, clothing, shoes, baby items, household goods, and more

Needed:  clothing, footwear, cleaning supplies, school supplies, toiletries, non-perishable food, tarps, totes for victims, garbage bags, towels and washcloths, kitchen towels, baby supplies, kitchen and household goods, small appliances.

A well-coordinated volunteer effort is manning the center, sorting the items to make it easier for those in need.

Financial donations for victims are being accepted at all Tellico Plains area banks.

For more info, see our website Tornado page.

Tornado Hits

On Friday, March 2, around 2pm, a tornado touched down in Tellico Plains, leaving a path of destruction through the city limits and up Hwy 360, Ballplay Road. Property damage to residential and commercial buildings is extensive, with some personal injuries but, miraculously, no fatalities. Many have suffered damage or loss of their homes, businesses, vehicles, and other personal belongings. One of the TDS buildings and the police department annex were destroyed. The cabins, main lodge and pavilion at the KOA Campground were leveled. Downed, broken, twisted, and uprooted trees cover hillsides and roadsides in the tornado's path.

Relief efforts began immediately, with city/county/state law enforcement, road crews, forestry personnel, volunteer firefighters and rescue squads, disaster relief workers, the Red Cross, and many others. Residents of Tellico Plains and surrounding communities came forth in numbers to help, in whatever means possible. All day Saturday, the sounds of chain saws, heavy equipment, and moving dump trucks filled the air, as clean-up crews worked all over town. Damaged roofs were covered with tarps to prevent more damage, huge trees were cut away from buildings, power crews replaced fallen poles and repaired damaged lines, and high school students and other folks picked up pieces of debris, large and small, which littered the town. Fluorescent "X" marks were spray painted on the exterior of buildings which were condemned due to the storm damage.


A relief center is set up at Tellico Plains High School, serving food and beverages to displaced residents and relief workers all day. Many area businesses have donated to the efforts too - Tellico Kats delivered dozens of sandwiches to the High School Relief Center, Tellico Grains Bakery provided sweets and other baked goods to those working at clean-up and directing traffic and to the High School Relief Center. Area churches coordinated to deliver additional meals to the Relief Center. Local banks are taking donations for aid to victims of the tornado. See the separate post about the FEMA center set up at New Providence Baptist Church for donations for those in need. The community has truly come together to help the victims of this devastation.

Thank you to all who have volunteered their labor so far, and those who will help with all that needs to be done in the coming days and weeks. Please keep us all in your prayers.

For more photos and information, see our website Tornado page.