Thursday, December 01, 2016

Smokies fire update
The State of Tennessee is currently at a Level Three State of Emergency as the result of the wildfires earlier this week in Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Dean Flener, of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) says the Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed seven fatalities from the wildfires. There is no further information available on the fatalities, and the department also reports up to 45 injuries were sustained in the wildfires. On Wednesday Park officials said the Chimney Tops 2 Fire has resulted in 700 confirmed structures lost (300 in Gatlinburg and 400 in other parts of Sevier County). The fire which has burned 15,700 acres is being fought by 285 personnel. "The fire currently is ten percent contained and the rainfall received recently will last only one to two days due to the prolonged drought. This means the rain we received may have slowed this fire for a day or two at a critical time, but the threat from this fire is still there," the report says. A mandatory evacuation is still in effect for most of the City of Gatlinburg. Wednesday evening in Sevier County, 8,476 people remained without power. Two Red Cross shelters remain open in the county with 196 total occupants. TEMA) and Tennessee Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster have setup a call center for information with regard to donating goods and volunteering to help survivors of the Sevier County wildfires. The call center number is 866-586-4483 and is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development enacted an emergency action plan Wednesday, in Sevier County to assist persons impacted by recent wildfires. The devastation caused by those fires closed dozens of businesses, leaving more than a thousand workers unemployed. The department’s mobile American Job Center is currently located at 149 Cates Lane in Pigeon Forge. It is providing computers and Internet service so that workers can file unemployment claims. Staff is available to assist claimants during this filing process. The mobile job center will be open from Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Employers impacted by the wildfires are encouraged to file a mass layoff list with the Department. This will expedite the processing of claims for their employees. It is critical that employers provide layoff information so displaced employees can start receiving benefits as quickly as possible. On Wednesday Dolly Parton issued an international appeal for donations to her "My People Fund." She has pledged $1,000 per month to all those who lost their homes in the fires "until they can get back on their feet." Donations are being collected at www.dollywoodfoundation.org. In less than 48 hours, thousands of individual donors contributed more than $100,000 to Friends of the Smokies in support of Great Smoky Mountains National Park on #GivingTuesday. One hundred percent of these donations will help meet the greatest needs of the Park, beginning immediately with emergency relief efforts related to the recent fires. “We are truly humbled by the outpouring of support for our park,” said Jim Hart, President of the Friends. “Donors came forward in record numbers, from right here in East Tennessee and as far away as Sweden, all looking for ways to help the park they love.” Donations can be made online at www.friendsofthesmokies.org, or by phone to 865-932-4794. Friends of the Smokies gives more than $1 million each year to fund critical projects and programs including wildlife management, historic preservation, and the Parks as Classrooms program. At the Park’s request, Friends can also raise funds for emergency efforts like this unprecedented fire response.


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