The leaders completed the second of at least three rounds of Helene-recovery funds built on donations from businesses and individuals.
NEWPORT, Tenn. — Members of the Cocke County Partnership delivered notices to 99 individuals that they would receive money from the partnership’s Mountain Strong fund on Monday afternoon.
Those individuals will receive $539,500 in total to repair the damage that Hurricane Helene caused to their homes. They joined 39 businesses that received $257,000 in total during the first round of payments from the fund.
Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis said he and leaders at the partnership, which focuses on economic development in Cocke County, talked about the idea after Helene hit East Tennessee in late September.
“Shortly after the flood, we realized there was going to be a huge need for our individual citizens to some kind of support, some kind of aid, and it was important to us that came from within the county,” Mathis …