Tennessee U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) has been on the ground meeting with East Tennessee residents impacted by Hurricane Helene and working to gather and distribute supplies to those in need in the aftermath of the storm.
Harshbarger, whose district stretches from the far northeastern point of the state down to the Gatlinburg area, and her staff have deployed to multiple counties impacted by the hurricane since flood waters devastated areas to assess each community’s needs and help distribute supplies.
On Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Harshbarger said it is her “job” to be on the ground with Tennesseans impacted by the hurricane, adding, “Somebody has got to be there.”
“When you have boots on the ground and you personally go to see the devastation and talk to the people…they will tell you directly what they need. When you go to the distribution sites, they tell you what they need,” Harshbarger explained.
“When I went to Roan Mountain, I was the first elected official to even appear up there at a church who was sheltering and helping people that were victimized by the hurricane…Somebody has got to be there. One thing about catastrophe and devastation and all of the damage, people just want to see you. They want to know that you’re there. Just show up. I can’t tell you the goodwill that’s created with the people I serve. It’s my job to do that. I don’t sit around and wait for somebody to tell me something. I put my boots on, and I go,” Harshbarger added.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://harshbarger.house.gov/media/in-the-news/congresswoman-diana-harshbarger-ground-east-tennessee-helping-victims-hurricane