Federal Assistance for Tornado Victims Approved

FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Tennessee to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes from March 31 to April 1, 2023.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Cannon, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lewis, Macon, McNairy, Rutherford, Tipton and Wayne counties. 

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621- 3362. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.

Federal funding is also available to affected state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency protective measures (Categories A and B), including direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program in the same counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Andrew D. Friend has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of ongoing damage assessments.