COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - The effects of Hurricane Helene are still being felt in East Tennessee more than a year later.

Daniel Jennette, the president of the Pigeon River Outfitters Association, said whitewater rafting participation on the Pigeon River in Hartford is projected to end the year with a 30% decline from its 10-year average of 192,812 visitors.

Through September, the Cocke County Clerk’s Office said 134,290 people rafted down the Pigeon River. Jennette said it’s expected to finish the year with about 135,371, which marks a 25% drop over 2024’s count of 176,982 rafters.

Jennette said the primary factor behind the significant drop is the lasting effects of Helene, which caused I-40 to be shut down at the Tennessee-North Carolina line for months and is still only one lane i

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