Federal Disaster Declaration Granted to East Tennessee Counties Recovering from Severe Weather

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the approval of his federal disaster declaration request, making recovery assistance available to 10 counties as a result of the severe weather, straight-line winds, and tornadoes on August 7, 2023.

“We remain focused on our priority of ensuring necessary resources are available to communities recovering from this severe weather event,” said TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan. “Federal disaster assistance will bring economic relief to East Tennessee and support their on-going recovery process.”

The 10 counties included in FEMA’s Major Disaster Declaration are Bledsoe, Coffee, Cumberland, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Meigs, Rhea, Roane, and Van Buren.

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program

The federal disaster declaration allows eligible government entities and certain private non-profits in the declared 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 reimbursement categories can be found here.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

The federal declaration also makes Tennessee eligible for the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides assistance to communities to prevent or reduce long-term risks to life
and property from natural hazards.

Additional designations may be made at a later date based on the results of further damage assessments.

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, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and at tn.gov/tema.

###