Keeli Parkey/The Beacon
Sheriff Kent Harris,Dr. Phil Roe, Cozy Silvers,and Robbie Sullins observe the damage to Silver’s property. Roe toured the property at the request of Sheriff Harris.Watching It Wash Away
July 09, 2008
Last Tuesday afternoon First Congressional Candidate Dr. Phil Roe, at the request of Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris, witnessed for himself the vast amount of land that UCSD employee Cozy Silvers and his family have lost since a dike was built in the Nolichucky River approximately 30 years ago.
The Silvers family lives on Red Bank Road, which lies next to the river in the southern end of Unicoi County. The property sits above the river on a very steep bank. Silvers said that they have lived on this property for 38 years.
Keeli Parkey/The Beacon
A view of the bank from across the river. The deterioration of the bank can be seen in this picture.During the last 30 years, Silvers said that his family has lost one and a half acres of land to the river. He also said that he has lost a barn and a storage building that rested on that property.
The dike was built to re-channel the river Silvers said. Now the force of the river as it travels around a bend is pushed into the bank on the Silvers’ property.
“Cozy doesn’t want to hurt anybody else,” Sheriff Harris said. “But it’s going to take his house eventually.”
“I wanted Dr. Roe to see it. He hopes that he can help whether he gets elected or not.”
Silvers also stated that he has tried numerous times in recent years to get help from the federal government, but has not been able to do so.
“We don’t know what to do,” he added. “We’re just waiting for the next hunk to fall off.”
Watching It Wash Away
Post your feedback on this topic here
| Date | Subject | Posted by: |
|---|---|---|
| No feedback has been posted yet. Please post yours! | ||
