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To the Editor:

As I will celebrate the beginning of my 88th year on Friday, November 29, I realize just how thankful I am for our children who are good hardworking citizens, thankful for an education that has allowed me to hold some very responsible jobs, thankful for my former students and the opportunity to teach at every level. Thankful for the people that I call friends in several countries and each of the 50 states. Most importantly, thankful for a merciful savior and father God who has blessed my life in many ways. As a community we should be thankful for the vision of politicians that realized that the flooding of the Tennessee River Valley and its tributaries needed to be controlled by building a series of dams for flood control and the generation of electricity as a side benefit. Elizabethton, Tennessee was one of dozens of flood prone towns along the approximately 600 mile long river. Our town prior to 1948, with the completion of the Watauga Dam, had flood damage several times. This area had never experienced the September 27th hurricane winds and heavy rainfall totals in the mountains to our east since Hurricane Hugo in the early ’90s. Bridges, roads, houses, mobile homes, soil, and even livestock were destroyed in just a few hours. No lives were lost in Carter County due to the quick action and communication by emergency responders; however some communities lost schools, hospitals, and their industrial job base. We are thankful for caring people and agencies in other states for their rapid response by bringing in supplies, especially drinking water. Many communities had water treatment facilities along our waterways that were under water. It will take billions to replace bridges, roads, school buildings, housing – and this will not come quickly – to bring this area back to the vibrant and beautiful area that we remember. Give thanks to the Tennessee Valley Authority for without their dams our situation would be much worse. Give thanks to God our creator and to Jesus our savior for instilling in us the willingness to build back and move forward.

 

Charles D. Von Cannon

Central Community

Carter County, Tennessee