Nashville, TN – Today, Friday, April 7th, 2023, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced The approval of his federal emergency assistance request, which will support ten counties impacted by tornadoes and severe storms on March 31st and April 1st.
“As Tennessee continues to rebuild, we remain focused on ensuring critical resources are made available to each impacted community across our state,” said Governor Lee. “I thank Tennessee’s congressional delegation for calling on our federal partners to act swiftly and provide continued response and recovery to Tennesseans.”
The Tennessee counties named in the Major Disaster Declaration are Cannon County, Hardeman County, Hardin County, Haywood County, Lewis County, Macon County, McNairy County, Rutherford County, Tipton County, and Wayne County.
This disaster declaration includes FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) Program, Public Assistance categories A and B, and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
“I appreciate the hard recovery work we’ve already accomplished with our local, state, and federal partners,” Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Director Patrick Sheehan said. “We will continue working to make sure Tennesseans have every resource necessary for a full, swift recovery.”
Governor Lee and TEMA Director Sheehan also shared guidance and resources that are available to Tennesseans in impacted areas:
FEMA Individual Assistance Program
Individuals in the declared counties can apply now for direct assistance through FEMA’s IA program online here anytime or by phone at 1.800.621.3362 between 6:00am and 10:00pm CT. Multilingual operators are available.
Those eligible for FEMA’s IA program may receive help with rental assistance, home repair and personal property replacement, in addition to other uninsured or under-insured disaster losses. More information on FEMA’s IA program can be found here.
Hazard Mitigation Program
The Major Disaster Declaration also makes FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Program available to all Tennessee counties. Grants provided through the Hazard Mitigation Program can provide reimbursement assistance for projects that prevent or reduce the long-term risk to the loss of life and property from natural hazards.
Tennessee experienced a line of severe weather on March 31st and April 1st, resulting in devastating high winds and long-track tornadoes. The storms claimed 15 lives and left a path of debris and damage across the state.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has made a recovery web page available in an effort to help storm survivors find resources and support.
