Nonprofit Garrard Co. is helping first responders in Tennessee recover from flooding

The flooding in East Tennessee is all too familiar to Brian Butler, team leader for the Kentucky Serves.

“It reminds me of Eastern Kentucky,” Butler said, “because everywhere you look there is complete destruction. From destroyed roads to power poles being moved.”

Butler and his team left Garrard County at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to travel to Newport, Tennessee, on a mission.

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“Our primary goal right now is to get first responders back into their homes because they have helped their communities so much,” Butler said. “We’re just focused on getting them back into their homes with their families as well.”

A majority of the Kentucky Serves team is made up of current or former first responders. From his own experience, Butler said he knows first responders have a hard time stopping and asking for help for themselves.

“I know those I dealt with this morning. It’s just hard to digest that you also need help at a time like this,” Butler shared.

With the goal of helping local first responders, Butler also had a specific reason to provide aid to the Newport community.

“The entire response that we saw from the footage from Samaritan’s Purse, the American Red Cross and FEMA was focused on North Carolina and the Asheville area,” Butler said. “A lot of these other small communities are actually being left behind.”

Butler and Kentucky Serves want to help “until the need is over.”

Kentucky Serves is accepting donations and hosting a fundraiser on November 2nd at the Oak Factory Outlet. Learn more about Kentucky Serves here.