Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Announces Federal Disaster Declaration Granted to 20 Tennessee Counties Recovering from May’s Derecho

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced today the federal government has granted his request for Major Disaster Declaration to make federal recovery assistance available to 20 county jurisdictions impacted from severe weather, flooding, and straight-line winds in May.

“The devastating severe weather required a comprehensive response and stretched many local jurisdictions to their resource limits,” Gov. Lee said. “We are committed to supporting these communities and provide the necessary resources to assist their recovery efforts.”

The following counties are included in the declaration: Benton, Carroll, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Hardin, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lawrence, Lewis, Madison, Maury, Obion, Perry, and Weakley.

The major disaster declaration covers damage from the May 3-4 severe weather, and will allow government entities and certain private non-profits in the eligible counties to apply for reimbursement of specific expenses related to the disaster under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) program.

Information about FEMA's PA program and its eligible reimbursement categories is at: https://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit.

The federal declaration also makes Tennessee eligible for the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program, which provides assistance to communities to prevent or reduce long-term risks to life and property from natural hazards.

The 20 counties combined reported more than $14 million in damages to county and municipal structures and utilities. Some of the worst damage occurred across the Nashville metropolitan area, where winds between 60 and 80 mph caused power outages for over 130,000 customers – the worst power outage on record for the city. The total also includes costs the counties incurred for emergency work performed during and after the response, such as debris removal and power restoration.

Attachment: Press Release PDF