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The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority (TEMA) is coordinating the deployment of firefighting personnel and equipment from multiple Tennessee jurisdictions to assist Texas officials in battling the Ross Fires in North Texas, a significant wildfire incident intensified by prolonged extreme heat, dry conditions, and high winds. The deployment is being coordinated through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), the nation’s state to state mutual aid system.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority (TEMA) continues to coordinate with Shelby County, the City of Memphis, state agencies, federal partners, and nonprofit organizations following severe weather that impacted Shelby County on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026.

In accordance with the authority delegated to me to activate the Tennessee Emergency Management Plan, and the authority granted to me by Governor Bill Lee pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 58-2-107(b)(l)(A), (b)(l)(B), and (k), I hereby declare a state of emergency throughout the State of Tennessee for the purpose of providing regulatory relief in response to a disaster in Ohio. The disaster requires emergency assistance due to widespread damage and power outages and has caused delays in the delivery of essential goods and products critical to our fellow Americans, adversely affecting health, welfare, and the economy. Accordingly, I, Patrick C. Sheehan, Commissioner of Emergency Management for the State of Tennessee, hereby declare this state of emergency.

Today, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency officially becomes the Department of the Tennessee Emergency Management Authority (TEMA), marking an organizational change that elevates emergency management to a cabinet-level department in Tennessee state government.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined the use of a programmatic process for review of generator projects for Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant-funded mitigation projects located in the floodplain would streamline agency coordination and create a substantial reduction in the overall time required for the Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) review.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency presented Tennessee Task Force 2 with the state’s first Urban Search and Rescue credential today, formally recognizing the Nashville-based team as a specialized statewide response asset for complex rescue operations.

Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) will begin opening across Tennessee on Saturday, May 2, to provide survivors with in-person help applying for disaster assistance and accessing recovery resources.

Today, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency announced that in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and other state and local partners, Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) will open Saturday, April 25, in Davidson, Hardin, Hickman, and Madison counties to assist Tennesseans impacted by Winter Storm Fern.

Survivors affected by Winter Storm Fern can get in-person registration assistance this weekend at Mobile Registration Intake Centers in several impacted counties.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is excited to announce the launch of ReadyTN Faith, a new statewide initiative designed to help houses of worship prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.

The State of Tennessee has received an amendment to the federal major disaster declaration for Winter Storm Fern, expanding available aid to include FEMA Individual Assistance for 29 impacted Tennessee counties.

Today, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has expanded Public Assistance (PA) eligibility to additional Tennessee counties for impacts from Winter Storm Fern.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) announces that FEMA has approved an extension of the Request for Public Assistance (RPA) deadline related to Winter Storm Fern to March 25, 2026.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is reminding eligible applicants that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Request for Public Assistance (RPA) deadline for the 23 counties that were approved for Public Assistance through the Major Disaster Declaration is March 8, 2026, while the remaining 72 counties that were declared through the Emergency Declaration is March 25, 2026, following a FEMA-approved extension.

As Tennessee approaches the spring severe weather season, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is partnering with the National Weather Service (NWS) to raise awareness about the growing risks posed by severe weather and to encourage Tennesseans to take action before storms strike.