Full Circle; Former OFA Football Player connecting Owego for  help in hard hit North Carolina

By Wendy Post —

Sometimes, and more often than not, things come full circle in life. Such is the case with a relief effort underway to deploy needed goods and recovery assistance to the hard hit town of Hot Springs, and its surrounding areas.

The effort began when this scribe connected with Jesse Knox, an Owego Free Academy graduate, who in 1999 and 2000 was a Nose Tackle on the school’s Varsity Football team. 

And Knox is no stranger to flooding, having experienced Tropical Storm Lee’s wrath in 2011. Now, and after a relocation to Tennessee in 2019, Knox has found himself in the center of relief efforts in Hot Springs, N.C., with everything centering around the Gentry Store, a turn of the century building that stands tall in the town known as the Home of the Appalachian Trail. According to Knox, the business district is gone.

We spoke with the Gentry’s this week, along with several off-duty reservists that are also on the ground to assist, and they are working non-stop to gain access to areas, bring in supplies needed, and engage in the ongoing search for those missing; although this small town of 800 is accounted for.

Nearby Asheville, N.C. was not so lucky. Downgraded recently from search and rescue to search and recovery, the area was met with total destruction. As Knox explained, the area is mountainous and vast, with the French Broad River running through, dropping 75-feet of water every mile as its large branch winds along.

With 13-inches to up to 30-inches of rain in some areas saturating the region in a very short period of time, the amount of destruction is incomprehensible. The path that Helene took from the bend in Florida, where the storm made landfall, left a trail of destruction in all states heading north, west and east, to include ravaged Asheville, N.C. and the small hamlets and towns surrounding it, like Hot Springs.

The 75-foot drop every mile turned the French Broad River into a force to be reckoned with; causing mudslides, wiping out bridges and roads, and sweeping everything in its path away with it. The  torrential and forceful flow ended in Asheville, N.C., where grueling recovery efforts are underway.

When Knox heard what was going on, he decided to help.

“I’ve always loved to hike in that area, and I was fortunate with this storm; I wanted to pay it back. People helped each other in Owego when it flooded, and I knew you guys would pull through for this, too.”

Knox and his wife, Stephanie, travel often to Hot Springs to hike, and enjoy the beauty of the area. 

But for this writer, as well as Knox, things seem to be full circle. While stationed in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, N.C., now known as Fort Liberty, my weekend breaks were spent at Hot Springs, where we would go tubing, swimming, rafting, and enjoy outdoor activity. So helping out was not a difficult decision.

Earlier in the week we spoke with Jeannie and Keith Gentry, along with Noah Rowsey, an Army Reservist that traveled to Hot Springs with a Marine Reservist; they brought a much needed generator, too.

The plan is that supplies and goods will arrive at the school in Hot Springs for distribution by local fire departments and emergency management folks on the ground. Supplies for areas outside of Hot Springs will be distributed from this location.

They noted that there are many pockets of rural areas in this mountainous region, and that reaching folks is very difficult.

Regarding the Gentry Store, which is still standing in Hot Springs, Jeannie noted that it dates back to her husband’s great-grandfather, and is a pillar in the town and a central point for folks in the community, and those arriving to help.

“It’s a God thing,” said Jeannie about the aftermath and strength of the locals,” adding, “We have a fantastic community and we have people from everywhere,” and gave a shout out to the Knoxville, Tenn. folks, like Knox, that have been showing up to help.

Army Reservist Rowsey and Marine Reservist Tony Mobest reported on efforts to deliver insulin to folks in need. Volunteer pilots, with their own personal aircraft, were able to start dropping off needed supplies.

Mobest noted that the helicopter drops are rotating, and they have had four to five pilots arriving at a time. Later that day they were expecting Blackhawks to arrive that were commissioned by Dr. Phil.

Back home we needed to help complete the circle, and the Owego Police Department, along with many others, took the lead for a collection of critical items needed. They will be delivered immediately, with a second trip scheduled if needed.

The initial Hot Springs needs include: Tarps; Five-Gallon Buckets; Blankets; Cleaning supplies (bleach, disinfectant, sanitizer); Soap; Personal Protective Equipment; Rubber Boots; Dry Goods; Over the counter medicines (advil, children’s cold medicine, allergy meds, Motrin, etc.); Socks; Winter gloves, hats, and coat sizes would be best for young teen and adult sizes; some baby and infant coats; and children 9 and up; Personal Hygiene Products are needed; Water is NOT needed; Baby Formula; Shelf Stable Milk;Cleaning Supplies’ Rubber Gloves; Rubber Boots; Laundry Detergent; Pet Food; Bread; Diapers; Garbage Bags; First Aid Supplies; Benadryl; Tampons and Maxi Pads; Portable Charging Banks; Sleeping Bags; Flashlights; Batteries.

The collection is running until Friday (Oct. 11) of this week, at the Village of Owego, New York Hall at 22 Elm St. in Owego, N.Y. from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; The Community Shop, located at 106 North Ave., Owego, N.Y. 13827, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Ward and Van Scoy has a jug for donations and will be collecting items at their 162 North Ave. location in Owego, N.Y., from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For those that choose, you can also donate immediately to help in these efforts to the Gentry Hardware Co. LLC at https://venmo.com/u/gentryhardware.

For more information on this effort, contact Owego Police Chief Joseph Kennedy by email to policechief@villageofowegony.gov.

Boots on the Ground

In addition, and during the next two weeks, a handful of Southern Tier residents will be heading down to western North Carolina to assist with the on-going recovery efforts in the most remote, flood-ravaged areas. These individuals represent local law enforcement, emergency medical services, and have extensive military and government experience with rescue and recovery.

The specific locations they will be aiding are currently inaccessible by vehicle, helicopter, or even ATV. This team of experienced, certified professionals plans to backpack on foot to locate, document, and work with local authorities to identify and safely remove those who have fallen victim to this natural disaster. Although we can’t disclose those going, folks from Owego will be represented in this effort. 

Items that could desperately be used for this effort, and are needed ASAP, include OTC Benadryl – both children’s/adults, pills/suspension (ground insects have been relentless and dangerous); Advil/Tylenol; Poison ivy wipes/cream; Tools – sledgehammer, pick axe, and shovels. They have chainsaws, but are needing eight to 10 extra chains. They need water purification tablets / water filtration devices; gas cards / cash cards.

The current drop off point(s) for these items is the Village of Owego office at 22 Elm St. in Owego, and the Metrocenter at 49 Court St., Suite 210, Binghamton, N.Y., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Student Council and Key Club collecting for Newport, Tennessee

In yet another ongoing effort, the Student Council and Key Club at OFA is working with a group out of Ithaca, Families Helping Families, to collect for hurricane victims in Newport, Tenn.

They will be accepting donations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their Welcome Center at the Owego Apalachin Middle School, located at the end of Sheldon Guile Boulevard. Items will be picked up on Oct. 17 for delivery.
Needed are the following items: Cleaning supplies, bottle water, non-perishable foods, Shelf Stable Milk, juices and drinks, manual can openers, dog and cat food, baby items, batteries, flashlights, matches, hygiene items, hand wipes, sanitizer, soap, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, socks, wipes, paper plates, cat litter, paper cups, plasticware, five-gallon buckets, mops, bleach, and laundry detergent.

For more information, you can contact Laurie Tottey, Families Helping Families – Ithaca, by email to familieshelpingfamilies2@gmail.com, or by calling (607) 533-0161. You can also contact Mrs. Melby and Mr. Mukhlis by email to melbyb@oacsd.org or mukhlisu@oacsd.org.