VERSAILLES, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — Recovery efforts are gaining momentum five days after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast. Woodford Automotive, a local business in Versailles, is leading a community initiative to gather donations for those affected by the storm. “At first you see a couple of roads washed out, and the flooding and it’s ‘ok that’s awful.’ And then you realize, every connection that this one community has is cut off,” said Cari Whalen, with Woodford Automotive. “I’m grateful that I have our home and our belongings and I can’t imagine losing all of that,” she said. The automotive shop has begun collecting a range of essential items, including toilet paper and bottled water, to aid hurricane victims. Donations started pouring in just two days ago, and the business plans to transport the collected supplies to Ashville North Carolina once their trailer is filled. Woodford Automotive reached out to the community via Facebook, requesting non-perishable food items, supplies, and monetary contributions. The response has been encouraging, with residents of Versailles and the surrounding areas stepping up to help. “The scope of this disaster is shocking, I think everyone is in shock, I think we all feel helpless, when you feel helpless you want to do something.These people need all the help they can get, so I think we all feel motivated to do what little we can, to come together and gather up as much as we can do send down there,” said contributor Ellen Gordon. Whalen noted that they have a connection in Asheville, North Carolina, where all collected donations will be sent. “My thought process was, we can’t get to them, I don’t have a helicopter, but at least we have friends that are there, and thankfully they’ve made drop-off points, And where our friend lives they can get people to them,” said Whalen. Community members can drop off items at Woodford Automotive from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Categories: Featured, Local News, National News, News Tags: Asheville NC, community support, disaster relief, Donations, Hurricane Helene, Kentucky news, Local Business, non-perishable food, Southeast recovery, Versailles KY, Woodford Automotives