10/09/2026
UPDATE FROM COCKE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR JOE ESWAY.
10-9-2026 @ 4:20 am
Good morning Cocke County.
There are a few items I’d like to address with the intent of helping each of us better understand some things I’ve been asked about this week.
1) Am I expecting a “Helene Level Event?” This is a complicated question because the answer boils down to perception. To me, a Helene Level Event is 3/4 of the county affected in some way by a major tragedy. The EOC has every seat full. We are running flight operations. The fairground is packed with mutual aid responders, and every available responder in the county is actively engaged in rescue and recovery operations.
BUT…
If you ask the citizens and business owners in Del Rio the same question, they will likely tell you the flooding they experienced this summer was a Helene level event.
OR…
The people who required rescue in Parrottsville, Centerview, and Bybee at the end of May where we lost a life and homes were destroyed may say the same.
SO…
To answer the question, I do not believe we will experience a “Helene Level Event” based on MY perspective but, there is a possibility that portions of the county will experience high winds and/or localized flooding that dramatically impacts their lives.
There are still several variables at play and we will know more after landfall.
I am still preparing for a Helene level event, just as I do for every projected event that has the potential to disrupt the daily life or that could threaten life, property, or agriculture because when it hits the fan, I don’t know exactly what may be needed so EVERYTHING is prepared.
It’s the same approach I take when it comes to a missing child: I will have every department in the county “toned out” to respond and if we find the child playing safely at a neighbor’s house, I’ll apologize to everyone when it’s over, because if it’s your child or grandchild, you will want every available responder searching until that child is found. If it’s your home or business that’s threatened, you’re gonna want everything in the arsenal prepped and ready to roll out.
2) when will we know what’s going to happen? That too is hard to say. We are on the east or “dirty side” of this storm and rainfall totals here as well as in the mountains will dictate the level of water we’ll need to deal with.
I can tell you there are two things to watch for.
1) if you drive by the fairgrounds and see the EMA-Gray enclosed trailers staged at the road at the top of the grassy field, I am preparing to deploy assets. You can think of it as the “Rapid Deployment Index.” We exist in a place where seconds matter. If I feel we may be cut off from portions of the county, those trailers get staged to rapidly deploy as needed.
2) if you see me switch up lighters, it’s about to be all bad. I received a nickel plated lighter with the Marine Corps Emblem on it as a gift from my uncle Andy a few years back. The first time I took it out of the box was September 29th 2024. I use it as a reminder because when times get tough, and “Cowboy Up” isn’t enough, that lighter is a reminder to me to drop my shoulder and “Lean In”.
I will update everyone after my afternoon update from The NWS. For the now, continue to prepare your homes, businesses, and loved ones for whatever may come our way. I am hopeful we will only experience high winds in the higher elevations and an inch or two of rain, but we should all prepare for more.
Information as it changes will be shared on this page, through HyperReach, and to our local radio stations, 92.3 fm and 97.9 fm.
-Director Esway
