A Tennessee county with a population of only 6,000 took the spotlight at the National FFA Convention in the wake of tragedy due to Hurricane Helene.
INDIANAPOLIS — This month, the Erwin FFA Chapter from Tennessee was given the opportunity to attend the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo — a trip that had originally seemed impossible as their area had been impacted greatly by Hurricane Helene. However, with the help of the Tennessee FFA Association and others, they traveled seven hours to be with nearly 70,000 other members from all over the country.
Because of the tragedy they endured, the spotlight has been on these members by the National FFA media and outlets like AGDAILY, while also looking at the town of Erwin itself. In recent weeks, one TV station even deemed Erwin as “unrecognizable,” as it had been nearly wiped out completely by the 60 mile per hour winds and rising water!
“One of the most unfortunate stories was a local farmer, the entirety of his livestock had been taken by the flooding,” said chapter officer Noah Canter. “He is still unable to locate where their bodies may lay.”
The chapter shared images and detailed what the town had looked like after the initial hit. They depicted how the infrastructure of their area had been wiped away and now lies mud. Yet the Erwin FFA members did not sit around to allow the hurricane to take everything from them. The members were quick to set up community support events and volunteering to help others in their area, such as the Hilemons, who lost 650 acres of pasture, 1,000 bales of hay, several barns and millions of dollars’ worth of equipment.
Sitting down with three members of the chapter, they began to explain what they desired from all the interviews and media coverage.
“We hope it will bring attention to the community. All we ask is that people are aware of the damages we have faced and that we need to be supporting each other during these times,” Canter said.
A priority was to show sympathy and being aware of how destructive this natural disaster truly was to Tennessee and how vulnerable agriculture is. The chapter said that the media coverage made them feel special and cared for.
While most people would feel overwhelmed and anxious in a convention center full of tens of thousands of strangers, the Erwin FFA members said they felt “a sense of normalcy and homeliness.” Attending the convention allowed the chapter to relieve the built-up emotions from the destruction of the hurricane.
For most of the Erwin FFA convention attendees, this was their second or third convention, however, they said that it exceeded their expectations from previous years! What the three officers enjoyed most was seeing their members who were attending for the first time.
“Getting to share the experience is the best part,” Canter said.
Canter even recalled his favorite memory from his first convention. As a big basketball fan, hearing from Tamika Catchings, one of the most decorated female basketball players in history, was sensational and set his expectations high.
With the 2024 National FFA Convention & Expo having wrapping up, the Erwin FFA Chapter hopes to spread the message they have learned as they recover from the hurricane. They want all who are going through hardships to lean on one another and to be there for others when they need it. The FFA community has been the biggest supporters of the Erwin FFA Chapter, and these members left Indianapolis with a deep appreciation for all who share their story.
