Gatlinburg wildfire: How you can help those saving evacuated homes
UPDATE: The Hall County Sheriff's Office is collecting supplies and preparing to send a relief truck to southeastern Tennessee by the end of this week.
The department is accepting donations of toiletry items, water, pillows, blankets, baby formula, diapers, toys and pet food to pack the truck.
You can help by dropping off donations at these three locations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. now through Thursday:
- Hall County Sheriff's Office headquarters - 2859 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, 30504
- Hall County Sheriff's Office south precinct - 7345 Cody Driver, Flowery Branch, 30542
- Hall County Sheriff's Office north precinct - 122 Dean Street, Clermont, 30527
The truck leaves for Tennessee at 11 a.m. on Friday.
Read more about the department's efforts on its Facebook page.
And after yesterday's call out, the Acworth Police Department is thanking supporters for donating cases of water it plans to deliver to emergency workers fighting fires and helping evacuees in Tennessee.
ORIGINAL STORY (published Nov. 29, 2016):
Acworth police have come up with a way for you to help the firefighters in Tennessee but you need to act fast.
Get some bottled water and head to Acworth Detention Center, 4400 Acworth Industrial Drive NW.
The Acworth Police Department is collecting the bottled water and will make sure it gets to the emergency workers in Gatlinburg, Tenn., fighting to keep the flames back from evacuated homes, the agency wrote on its Facebook page.
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They are accepting donations until 5 p.m.
"The police officers, state troopers, fire firefighters and rangers are doing their part and then some, let's help them out during this time," the agency wrote.
Emergency officials ordered evacuations in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County near the Great Smoky Mountains. About 14,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from Gatlinburg alone.
About the Author
Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.
