Tennessee offensive lineman Dayne Davis shed a bit of perspective on his life and loss when he took the podium for the Vols’ press conference on Monday.
The loss to Arkansas on Saturday wasn’t what got Davis choked up. It was the damage done to the area in which he came from, northeast Tennessee, which was severely damaged by flood waters caused by Hurricane Helene.
“One of my best friends I fish with a lot in the offseason,” Davis said, pausing with emotion. “His family owns…Sorry, it troubles me a little bit…His family owns a farm. They’ve lost four houses on the farm that was swept away by what was a six-foot wide creek.
“Just to see the videos and everything, we were able to drive up there yesterday and you’re just driving up the mountain and you look off the side of the road and there was a car wrapped around a tree.There was a house that was completely ripped off it’s platform.
“There’s a lot of people out there that need help. It’s just really sad to see what has come to the region. Just trying to use my platform to help those people back home. If there’s people out there that can donate, there’s people out there that really need it.”
For those wishing to donate, Davis has created a Go Fund Me page which can be accessed here.
Davis is from Sullivan East High School in Bluff City, Tenn. He recently visited the area to drop off supplies to those still suffering in the region as countless homes were lost due to the flooding.
“It’s a good little drive, but we took about $4,000 (to) $4,500 worth of groceries and other items that were needed to Elizabethton Parks and Rec, which was needed,” Davis said.
Western North Carolina was also affected by the storm, which has claimed over 200 lives in the area. Per the Associated Press, Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. About half the victims were in North Carolina, while dozens more were killed in Georgia and South Carolina.
