NEWPORT, Tenn. (WVLT) - Just one year ago, flood waters filled downtown Newport. Now, several new businesses are on the way.

Newport Community Development Director Gary Carver says initiatives to revitalize downtown started long before the flood. He called the new attention on the city a ‘silver lining’ from the tragedy.

Carver says several developers reached out, wanting to invest in Newport and be part of building it up after the flood.

“Finally, people are seeing our potential and they’re getting on board,” said Carver. “We’re definitely on the way back up, maybe even better than before. It means that people see the potential here to invest in the redevelopment of downtown.”

One of those developers is Custom Crafted Construction out of Sevier County. The group is working on several

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