Bucs Rebuild Together

Classes and all other campus activities resumed on Monday, October 7, according to our usual schedules. We will continue to give maximum flexibility to students and employees impacted by the storm.

Resources for ETSU Students and Employees

The ETSU community provides support services for students, faculty, and staff who may have been affected by this disaster.

• Dean of Students

  The ETSU Dean of Students office is reaching out to offer to support and assistance to students who have home addresses listed in areas directly impacted.  

  Students who need assistance can and should contact them at deanofstudents@etsu.edu or (423) 439-5377. 

• Bucky's Food Pantry and Meal Swipes

  Bucky’s Food Pantry provides food assistance to the ETSU community.

  Both locations of Bucky’s Food Pantry on campus will be open for their regular hours.

  Students who have been impacted by the disaster can request meal swipes for the cafeteria. Bucky's Food Pantry or the Dean of Students office can assist students with that request.

   

• ETSU Counseling Center

  The ETSU Counseling Center provides personal counseling for students, as well as outreach and referrals.  Students may access the ETSU Counseling Center at (423) 439-3333.

  The Counseling Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and is located on the 3rd floor of the DP Culp Center. Telehealth/Zoom services are also available.

  The Bucs Press 2 service is available 24/7/365 by dialing (423) 439-4841 and pressing 2 to speak to a counselor.  

• Military and Veteran's Services

  Student veterans who may have questions or need support are welcome to reach out to the Military and Veteran’s Services office.  

• Employee Assistance

  The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a resource for faculty and staff who need counseling support and referral to other resources.   

  The ETSU Emergency Employee Assistance Fund was established to provide financial assistance to current employees who experience an unexpected and extenuating circumstance that could negatively affect their livelihood.
  

  Employees who need help should contact HR at hr@etsu.edu or (423) 439-4457.

• Student Leaders and Organization Efforts  

  Leadership and Civic Engagement, housed within the Ronald and Edith J. Carrier Center, is serving as a clearinghouse for student response efforts. For more information, you may contact serve@etsu.edu.  

  
  ETSU staff and student leaders continue meeting to plan support and assistance efforts that benefit the local area.  

• Showers at the CPA

  Students and employees who currently don't have water at their homes can use the Center for Physical Activity on campus for hot showers. View the CPA's hours. 

• Roads and Routes

  Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) crews are working  to assess damage, inspect all state-owned bridges, and repair connectivity in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Long-term closures will be in place across the region as many routes will require significant repairs and for others, a total rebuild. 

  Roadway Closures

  TDOT SmartWay

   

• Call 211

  The United Way 211 is the most comprehensive source of information about local resources and services pertaining to disaster assistance. They can help you with FEMA application assistance and otherlong-term resources.

•  FEMA Assistance

  College and university students in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties may be eligible for FEMA temporary housing and disaster-related necessary expenses not covered by insurance or provided by another source. 
  

  Students do not need to be permanent residents of the eight counties to be eligible for FEMA assistance for Tropical Storm Helene, but the property damage or loss must have occurred in those counties. 

  FEMA grants can help pay for disaster-related expenses that do not have to be repaid, such as: 

  ▪ Financial assistance for immediate housing needs

  ▪ Replacement or repair of necessary personal property such as room furnishings, a computer damaged in the disaster, books and other items required for school

  ▪ Replacement or repair of tools and other job-related equipment required for those who are self-employed

  ▪ Replacement or repair of primary vehicles

  ▪ Medical and dental bills resulting from the disaster

  ▪ Financial assistance to help move and store personal property.

  In addition to FEMA assistance, the U.S. Small Business Administration provides loans to help cover home repairs and other disaster-related needs as well as business impacts. 

  
  The deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance is Tuesday, Jan. 7. 

  
  To apply, go to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service such as Video Relay Service, captioned telephone or other service, you can give FEMA your number for the service. You may also visit a Disaster Recovery Center. For locations and hours, visit fema.gov/drc.  

  To watch an accessible video on how to apply, visit FEMA Accessible: Registering for Individual Assistance (youtube.com).

Ways to Help  

Many in our campus community have asked how they can participate in relief efforts in our region. 

Find volunteer orientation sessions, ways to donate, supplies needed, and more below. 

 

• Monetary Contributions

  ETSU Funds

  ETSU Student Crisis Relief Fund

  Bucky’s Food Pantry Donation Fund

  Employee Emergency Assistance Fund

   

  External Funds

  Region Ahead

  East Tennessee Foundation

  American Red Cross,

  Salvation Army

  Help Erwin Heal: Support Flood Recovery Efforts in Unicoi County, TN, a GoFundMe effort organized by Rise Erwin 

  Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA)
  

  Second Harvest Food Bank

   

  How to Avoid Charity Scams

  • Check out any organization seeking donations through the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, the Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, or Guidestar.  
  • Ask questions on how and who will benefit from your donation. Resist pressure to give on the spot. 
  •  If you are asked for a donation through text or email, contact the charity or nonprofit directly to verify the request. 
  • If you give through an app or website, ask if it is going directly to the organization. 
  • Don't assume a social media or blog recommendation has been approved by the nonprofit. 
  • Avoid giving cash. 
  • Always try to get a receipt for your donations and ask if it is tax deductible. 
  • If a paid fundraiser asks you for a donation, ask how much is kept by the fundraiser and how much goes to the nonprofit.
• Donate Supplies

  Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive

  East Tennessee State University’s previously launched “Bucs Stuff the Bus” school supply drive has expanded to include schools affected by the catastrophic flooding.  

  ETSU departments and student organizations are invited to participate by donating a variety of supplies, including paper products, organizational tools, technology and arts and crafts materials. These contributions will directly support students, helping to remove barriers to learning and foster academic success.  

  To encourage broad participation, the ETSU community and the public are invited to join in ‘stuffing the bus’ during the ETSU vs. Samford football game on Saturday, Oct. 12. Additionally, donations can be made through Amazon wish lists available online.  

   

  Bucky's Food Pantry

  Bucky’s Food Pantry is seeking donations to support students, faculty, staff, and community members affected by Hurricane Helene.The pantry will be utilizing the existing food donation bins, located across ETSU's campus, to collect non-perishable food items to donate to our communities in greatest need. The locations of these bins are listed on our website.

   

  Community Efforts

  Bristol Motor Speedway is serving as the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center where donations may be accepted.

  There are many donation drop-off sites throughout the region.The Northeast Tennessee Regional Hub has compiled a living document of locations and needs for:

  Northeast Tennessee

  Southwest Virginia

• Volunteer Opportunities

  Bucs Rebuild Together is calling on ETSU students and employees who are willing and able to provide hands-on support for disaster recovery efforts in our area. To prepare, volunteer orientation sessions will be held periodically for ETSU students, employees, and community members. Sessions will offer best practices and practical guidance on how to stay safe during volunteer opportunities, the importance of tracking and documenting volunteer efforts, and how to find open volunteer opportunities.

  Members of the campus community can register for these sessions or find volunteer opportunities in the community by visiting ETSU Serves.

  For community members wishing to volunteer, please visit Volunteer United. The platforms are updated regularly, so check back for new opportunities.

  For other questions or inquiries regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact serve@etsu.edu.

   

• Donate Blood

  As many as three lives can be saved each time someone donates blood. All blood collected by The Marsh Regional Blood Center stays within the region as the blood center supplies blood and blood products to 20 regional medical facilities, all regional cancer centers and five air rescue bases across Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky. 

  The Marsh Regional Blood Center has various blood drives scheduled throughout the region in October and will soon build out events for November.
  
  

  Find an upcoming blood drive.. 

• Avoid Spreading Misinformation

  The aftermath of a natural disaster is already chaotic, but misinformation can make it even more dangerous, putting lives at risk and complicating emergency response efforts. 

  Tips to avoid spreading misinformation: 

  • Verify information before sharing by checking official ETSU channels or trusted news outlets.
  • Be cautious of sensationalized headlines and images that may be misleading.
  • Look for credible sources—trusted institutions and experts are key in emergencies.
  • Avoid spreading unconfirmed reports, especially on social media, without reliable evidence.
  • Cross-check information from multiple sources to ensure accuracy.
  • Correct misinformation if you see it, using verified facts and links.
  • Pause before you share—remember that rumors can spread quickly. 

ETSU Health Clinics

All ETSU Health clinics are open and serving our community. Many are providing special services for patients in the hardest-hit areas, from critical supplies to assisting with medication needs and behavioral health support during this time of crisis. 

Mt. City Extended Hours Health Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday beginning Thursday, Oct. 3, through Saturday, Nov. 2. This change allows staff driving on damaged roads to travel during daylight hours.

Resources have been made available to clinic staff in need during this time, including showers, drinking water and an employee disaster relief fund.

Several clinics are accepting donations in support of disaster relief drives or specifically for their patients who were impacted. These include:

• AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

  100 Jason Witten Way, Elizabethton

  The ETSU Health Center for Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology is collecting non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies, wet wipes, paper towels, trash bags, water, self-care items, and batteries, including hearing-aid batteries, for distribution to the Unicoi YMCA and Elizabethton shelters.

  The Center has several manufacturers willing to replace hearing aids lost due to Helene.  Those needing assistance should schedule an appointment.

• OB/GYN

  325 N. State of Franklin Rd., Johnson City

  ETSU Health OB/GYN is accepting donations specific to women’s needs, including bras, panties and feminine hygiene products.

• PEDIATRICS

  325 N. State of Franklin Rd., Johnson City

  ETSU Health Pediatrics has created pediatric disaster relief kits including personal care items, water, infant formula, food, emergency supplies, and other developmentally appropriate resources to provide to children and their families in their clinics and region.

  To aid pediatric disaster relief kit efforts, please donate to the Mary Michal Community Pediatrics Endowment:

  Https://securelb.imodules.com/s/974/giving/interior.aspx?sid=974&gid=1&pgid=3719&cid=5336&bledit=1&dids=667 

• PSYCHIATRY

  2 Professional Park Drive, Suite 21, Johnson City

  ETSU Health Psychiatry is accepting donations to support ETSU supply collections of flood buckets and hygiene kits.

   

• SURGERY

  325 N. State of Franklin Rd., Johnson City

  ETSU Health Surgery is collecting donations such as non-perishable food, water, clothing, baby items, and feminine hygiene products for delivery to distribution points at churches in Limestone and Erwin.

   

ETSU Health will continue to uphold our mission, serving in underserved areas with expertise and compassion, by caring for the well-being of students, team members and the families we serve.