Bush Grants Tennessee Governor Bredesen's Request For Federal Disaster Aid For Tennessee

02/08/2008 -- The federal government today authorized a major disaster declaration for five Tennessee counties. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen asked President Bush yesterday to declare 21 counties federal disaster areas following Tuesday’s storms. In addition to the action today making federal funding available to individuals in Hardin, Macon, Madison, Shelby and Sumner Counties, declarations for additional Tennessee counties is expected as preliminary damage assessments for those counties are submitted.

The federal aid will supplement state and local recovery efforts that began Tuesday when the storms struck. Based on emergency response guidelines established by Bredesen, a state of emergency was established at 6:30 p.m. on February 5 with the activation of the State Emergency Operations Center to respond to the disaster and deploy state resources.

“I appreciate the quick action by the federal government to make federal assistance available to these five counties, which were among the hardest hit in Tuesday’s storms,” said Bredesen. “In addition to the state resources that have been utilized since the storms hit, I hope and expect federal assistance for other impacted counties to quickly follow to provide assistance to all those impacted by these devastating storms.”

Bredesen toured impacted areas of Tennessee on Wednesday and Thursday. FEMA Administrator David Paulison joined the Governor as he toured Madison, Shelby and Sumner Counties yesterday. Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff also met Bredesen in Madison County as he toured the campus of Union University, which was devastated in the storms.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Hardin, Macon, Madison, Shelby, and Sumner, including both individual and public assistance.

Individual assistance can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Public assistance is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations to a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency protective measures. In addition, federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

“As I’ve seen the destruction caused by the storms and talked with the people who’ve been impacted and first responders, I’ve been struck anew by the strength of Tennesseans and the strong sense of community that brings us together in a time of tragedy,” said Bredesen. “We will continue to bring all available state and federal resources to bear to help people recover, rebuild and reestablish a sense of normalcy in their lives as quickly as possible.”

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the five designated counties can begin applying for assistance immediately by registering online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).

Source: Tennessee Governor

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