FenderBender reached out to Josh Kent, the executive director of the Tennessee Collision Repairers Association and the Carolinas Collision Association, after the southeast U.S. was impacted by Hurricane Helene on September 30.
Hurricane Helene has had a devastating impact across multiple states in the southeastern U.S., resulting in at least 135 deaths, according to recent reporting from CBS News.
The storm caused severe damage in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, bringing catastrophic flooding, wind damage, and storm surges. Homes were destroyed, residents were stranded, and trees were toppled.
“One shop in particular lost everything, so I’m reaching out to my contacts and other shops to see if they have any spare items that they can lend to them,” Kent shared. “We’re also going to help them purchase new things.”
There have also been some internal communication issues due to lines being down. “There’s [another] shop in particular that I’m having trouble getting a hold of and I’ve heard bad things,” he said.
Speaking on the current steps being taken by the Carolinas Collision Association, the organization is planning to make a large donation to Samaritan’s Purse, an international, nondenominational, evangelical Christian disaster relief organization.
He also urges anyone who wants to help collision repairers in the area impacted by the hurricane to email him at [email protected].
The Collision Industry Foundation, an organization focused on helping industry members in times of need, has posted a disaster relief form to help collision repairers impacted by the storm.
