Tennessee FFA chapter travels to Indy for national convention amid Hurricane Helene cleanup

INDIANAPOLIS — The FFA Convention brings in about 70,000 students with an interest in farming and agriculture. That includes a group from Erwin, Tennessee.

Remnants of Hurricane Helene ravaged their community.

“Rapid destruction that was happening, it happened so quickly and it was something so unexpected for a lot of the people,” said Emma Hummer, a member of the Erwin FFA chapter.

“There’s funerals going on, services. It’s really sad and heartbreaking,” said Abigail Petterson, a member of the Erwin FFA chapter.

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The storm dumped record levels of rain on eastern Tennessee. It flooded the Nolichucky River that runs through the town of about 6,000 people, washing out roads, homes and businesses.

“It’s hard to explain. You look outside, it’s like, wow that will never change,” said Petterson.

“Farming is the backbone of our community and unfortunately, there were quite a few farms destroyed by the storm,” said Hummer.

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They’re a month into the rebuilding process and it will be ongoing, but that’s where these FFA members stepped in. They’ve been helping farmers in their community.

“They do provide a lot for us so we wanted to help them through this time of need,” said Hummer.

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“For me personally, it’s been a way to cope with what’s going on,” said Noah Canter, a member of the Erwin FFA chapter.

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Stepping outside of their town and coming to Indy was important to them. They saw it as a way to get back into a routine and show they can move forward.

A few weeks ago, some of them didn’t know if they would make it on the trip, but the National FFA and Tennessee FFA Foundation helped pay for their way.

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“A sense of normalcy is a great way to put it,” said Hummer.