We've seen people unfamiliar with the area (๐๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ , ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ง ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ (๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐) making speculative comments, and passing unverified info as facts with posts and comments in local social media travel groups. This led to a lot of confusion and frustration so hopefully, this will provide some clarity. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ of Sevier County are open for business.
We have even seen fake AI-generated pictures like this one falsely showing that Gatlinburg was flooded. That is an absolute falsehood.
• Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge (Sevier Co) businesses, attractions, and restaurants are ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง for business.
• Dollywood is ๐ง๐จ๐ญ flooded
• Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are ๐ง๐จ๐ญ destroyed
• The Little Pigeon River that runs through Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg didn’t overflow its banks.
• An area in northern Sevierville (Sevier Co) had minor flooding from the Douglas Dam water release which has since subsided and residents were able to return.
• The ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ affected area to Sevier County is Cocke County TN which is east of Sevier County and is around Newport, TN (Cocke Co.) which was flooded from a dam overflowing upstream.
• Exit #407 on I-40 is open and there are no issues accessing that exit from either direction.
• At the time of this post ๐-๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ [๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฌ], ๐๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ (๐๐ ๐๐๐/๐๐ ๐๐/๐๐ ๐๐๐) ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ (๐๐ ๐๐๐) ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐. Please note that this information will change as TNDOT and NCDOT may open additional stretches to the traffic.
• Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Rd from Cherokee NC to Gatlinburg TN) is opened as of Oct 2nd but ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฉ-๐ญ๐จ-๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
• There are some park roads and trails closed, and you should ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ค'๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
• The National Park Service realized their recommendation to reschedule vacations (in Sevier County TN) was not necessary and have updated their posts – ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฉ-๐ญ๐จ-๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ.
• Sevier County TN is almost entirely dependent on tourism and others that support the tourism industry. Many residents of surrounding areas are also employed in Sevier County and ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ-๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ (hospitality, restaurants, attractions, and so on).
๐๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐:
The Smokies in both TN and NC had been saturated by rains for days leading up to the remnants of Helene making their way north Helene brought more rains, on top of swollen rivers on the NC side of the Smokies. The NC side of the Smokies took most of the wind and water, and Asheville, NC, and surrounding mountain communities sustained significant, and in many places, catastrophic damage.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ
Visit Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville, and patronize every small shop/business you can. Locals employed by these businesses depend on them for their paychecks.
๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ to help affected areas (not a comprehensive list - do your research)
Sevier County https://www.mountaintough.org/donation-center/
Cocke County https://www.empowercockecounty.com/
Samaritan's Purse https://samaritanspurse.org/
๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐จ.