WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – To remember the one-year mark of Hurricane Helene, the Washington County Long-Term Recovery Group held a memorial service to remember the impact the storm made.

Jeremy Dykes, chair of the Long-Term Recovery Group’s Spiritual and Emotional Committee, said his family was quick to help the community.

“My wife and I, when Helene came through, we set up one of the distribution centers in our yard right here on a farm across this field, and we were able to distribute all kinds of items and things to people,” Dykes said.

Dykes said that while this event is a memorial for what was lost in Hurricane Helene, it is also a celebration for how far Washington County has come and the hope for the future.

“We’ve entitled this event, you know, ‘The Reflection Gives Way to Hope,'” Dykes said, “and the hope that we’re going to talk about tonight is the hope that lasts, the hope in God.”

Howard Smith is also a part of the Spiritual and Emotional Committee and helped organize the memorial.

“We said we wanted to tell folks, ‘Hey, we haven’t forgotten,’ and there are a lot of people that still want to help,” Smith said. “There’s so many people that still need that help and everything else.”

Shane Broyles made food deliveries and also helped build a house after Helene. He said he has watched the community come together to help each other.

“You could tell people were together the whole time,” Broyles said. “You can see God’s work and all of this. It brought community closer together in a time we needed it.”

Marty Johnson, District 2 Commissioner for Washington County, said while it is great to see where Washington County is now, the work is not done.

“To think of where we were one year ago today and where we are today is absolutely amazing,” Johnson said. “It’s amazing who we are after one year, but we’re not done.”

Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy said he hopes that, going forward, people will still remember the impact the storm made while also regaining some normalcy in their lives.

“This is about looking forward,” Grandy said about the memorial. “This is about the hope that’s coming and the thanks for all the people that came together to get us where we are today.”