Hurricane Helene

Disaster Hotline: (423) 830-2696

The Disaster Hotline is operational from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. This hotline is available for community members, donors, and national/international organizations seeking information or requiring specific logistical considerations about disaster relief efforts.

Key Highlights  (as of October 2, 8:00 p.m. CDT)

• On Oct. 2, Gov. Bill Lee announced approval of his request for an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington. 
• Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) has been designated as the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center in coordination with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. The Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center at BMS will serve as a home base for recovery efforts and a major distribution center in the aftermath of the devastating flooding.
• The Crisis Clean-Up Hotline (844) 965-1386 has been established for survivors who need assistance with clean-up efforts. This service is at no cost to the survivors who are requesting assistance.
• Water and wastewater infrastructure remain impacted across the affected area and multiple boil water advisories remain in effect.
• Requests for assistance are being fulfilled through the State Emergency Operations Center, including private sector aide.
• Emergency Services Coordinators (ESCs) from TDOT, TDCI, TDH, THP, TN Department of Human Services, TN Department of Military, and more are monitoring and responding to the situation to provide assistance to local jurisdictions.
  

Current Situation (as of October 2, 8:00 p.m. CDT)

On Oct. 2, Gov. Bill Lee announced approval of his request for an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington. Damage assessments remain in progress and will inform additional requests to be made to the federal government. This is in addition to the federal assistance that has already been authorized by FEMA for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties in the previous Emergency Declarations.

With this approval, survivors who were impacted are now able to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance. Individuals in the declared counties can now apply for direct assistance through FEMA’s IA program online anytime or by phone at 1-800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. CDT. 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 underinsured disaster losses. More information on FEMA’s IA program can be found here.

As donation efforts continue to ramp up, TEMA has designated Bristol Motor Speedway as the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center. This center will serve as a home base for recovery efforts and a major distribution center in the aftermath of the devastating floods. They will be operating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. This center does not replace the donation centers that have been established by counties. For a list of known centers and goods requested by counties, visit TEMA’s website. 

We continue to work with water and wastewater infrastructure to better understand impacts and reported problems. If you are without water, please check with your water system for more information and recommended actions.
TEMA continues to deploy personnel at the request of the counties and is coordinating with local officials to assess damages and ensure life safety needs are met. TEMA recommends residents continue to tune into information provided by their local officials to remain safe.

Protective Actions

• Do not self-deploy to assist impacted areas. Wait for local officials to issue guidance.
  
• Do not attempt to cross flooded roads or walkways. Turn around, don’t drown.
• Take photos of any damages and use caution when handling debris.
• Continue to monitor for updated weather information from reliable sources.
• Contact your local emergency management agency if you need immediate assistance.