SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Across eastern Tennessee, there's been an outpouring of support for those who lost everything in flooding from Helene. NPR's Jennifer Ludden has this look at one group of people that had been overlooked as the storm receded and the people now rallying to their aid.
JENNIFER LUDDEN, BYLINE: At a massive tomato farm that spans the Pigeon River, two workers from Mexico remember when the floodwaters hit. Daniel Lopez points down a slight hill to a big housing complex right next to the river. He was in his room there when he says the river rushed in up to his knees.
DANIEL LOPEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: "My mini fridge was knocked down, and all the food spilled out," Lopez says. Marlon Espinoza says the tomato harvest was also ruined.
MARLON ESPINOZA: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: "It was a hard week," he says. No work. No electricity. No water. Then they turned to cleaning up the mess. Lopez and Espinoza are in the U.S. on seasonal work visas. They depend on their employer for transportation. Another worker says he doesn't even know how to navigate getting around town. None of these men have seen the many pop-up sites handing out free food, water and clothing, which is why a surprise visit on this night is a big deal.
SANDRA DE LEON: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: A mini convoy has pulled in. From the back of a pick-up, people unload bags of food while another volunteer roams around handing them out.
UNIDENTIFIED FARMWORKER #1: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: Tired farm workers crowd around, taking the sandwiches, beans, fruit and cookies.
UNIDENTIFIED FARMWORKER #2: (Speaking Spanish).
UNIDENTIFIED FARMWORKER #1: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: Sandra De Leon and her husband organized this. She's been in the U.S. for decades and says she can relate to the workers' experience.
DE LEON: We've done what they've done. We've picked tomatoes. We've cleaned houses. We've done everything.
LUDDEN: The couple now runs a cleaning company that serves rental cabins in these Tennessee mountain towns. After the flooding from Helene, cabin owners sent donations so De Leon could hand out food to her own employees.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: Guatemalan farmworker Rogelio Morales says until now he was living off instant noodles. He tells NPR producer Marisa Peñaloza this delivery feels heaven-sent.
ROGELIO MORALES: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: "I'm so grateful," he says. "It's good to know there are people who think of us." As the delivery winds down, Pastor Alexis Andino gathers people in a circle and says, we thank God we are alive. Heads bow for a prayer.
ALEXIS ANDINO: (Speaking Spanish).
LUDDEN: Then the convoy pulls out, and the farmworkers walk back to their housing and bed.
Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Newport, Tenn.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
