Federal Disaster Declaration Will Provide Needed Aid to East, Southeast Tennessee Counties Recovering from Deadly Tornadoes
Eligible Individuals with Damage in Bradley and Hamilton Counties can Register Now for FEMA Individual Assistance www.disasterassistance.govNASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced this afternoon eight counties will receive federal aid through an expedited Major Disaster Declaration as a result of the deadly tornadoes and severe weather, on April 12 and April 13, 2020.
“This deadly storm has passed for our east and southeast Tennessee neighbors,” Gov. Lee said. “Now those impacted can receive much-needed help to rebuild their lives and their communities.”
Through the Major Disaster Declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will make its Individual Assistance (IA) program available to eligible residents in Bradley and Hamilton counties for direct help with disaster costs, home repairs, crisis counseling, legal aid, and unemployment assistance.
Individuals in Bradley and Hamilton counties, who may be eligible for FEMA’s IA program, can begin the application process at www.disasterassistance.gov. FEMA also provides a Disaster Assistance Helpline, 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585, to help individuals with questions about the application process, including how to apply.
More information on FEMA’s IA program is at https://www.fema.gov/individual-disaster- assistance.
FEMA will also provide its Public Assistance (PA) program to local governments in Bradley, Campbell, Hamilton, Marion, Monroe, Polk, Scott, and Washington counties to receive federal reimbursement assistance for costs associated with the severe weather response, cleanup, and damage to infrastructure.
More information on FEMA’s PA program is at: https://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local- state-tribal-and-non-profit.
The tornadoes and severe weather in Tennessee on April 12, and April 13, claimed the lives of four Tennesseans, left 85,000 without power, damaged or destroyed more than 550 residential properties, and impacted another 2,300 structures,
Tennessee remains in a State of Emergency and the State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville, Tenn. continues to operate in support of the ongoing March 2020 tornadoes in Middle Tennessee, the state’s COVID-19 outbreak, and the Easter Sunday tornadoes in southeast Tennessee.
About the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency: TEMA’s mission is to coordinate preparedness, response and recovery from man-made, natural and technological hazards in a professional and efficient manner in concert with our stakeholders. Follow TEMA on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and, at www.tn.gov/tema.
About ReadyTN: ReadyTN is a mobile device application from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) providing emergency preparedness, response, and recovery information to Tennesseans. Ready TN is available for mobile devices running Apple and Android operating systems. For more information on ReadyTN’s features and on downloading, visit www.tn.gov/tema/ready-tn.html.