Gov. Bill Lee Announces 20 TN Counties Will Receive Federal Recovery Assistance for May Derecho & Storm

Statement

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced today the federal government is granting his request for Major Disaster Declaration and making federal recovery assistance available to 20 counties impacted from severe weather, flooding, and straight-line winds on May 3 and May 4, 2020.

"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 providing 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 will allow 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 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 structures and utilities. In the Nashville metropolitan area winds between 60 and 80 mph caused power outages for more than 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.

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