FEMA: Federal Disaster Assistance to Tennesseans Tops $300 Million

Friday, August 06, 2010 | 06:31am
NASHVILLE – Federal assistance for survivors of Tennessee’s spring storms and floods has
topped $301.6 million, according to recovery officials. That amount includes $155.9 million in
approvedFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster grants and $145.7 million in
low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
 
The $155.9 million in FEMA grants includes $134.5 million in home repair and rental assistance
and more than $21.4 million for other disaster-related needs such as personal property, medical care
and funeral expenses.
 
The SBA has approved more than $145.7 million in low-interest loans for homeowners, renters and
businesses.
 
Since President Obama signed the May 4 disaster declaration, 67,694 people have registered with
FEMA across 46 counties designated for Individual Assistance.
 
“This milestone demonstrates our commitment to Tennessee,” said Federal Coordinating Officer
Gracia Szczech. “Now the focus of our work will shift to making sure the communities receive the
help they need through public assistance and mitigation efforts. We will be here until the job is
done.”
 
“The citizens of our state are well on the road to recovery, but we still have work to do,” said
Director James Bassham of the Tennessee Emergency Management Association (TEMA).
 
Registered individuals who need to update their information or who have settled with their insurance
companies, discovered more damage after initial inspection or want to appeal the status of their
assistance from FEMA should call 800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 800-462-7585.
 
The activities and assistance provided by FEMA and its partners have included:
  • Visits by teams of state and FEMA Community Relations field specialists to 24,939 homes, 6,214 businesses, 1,857 faith-based organizations and 524 community-based organizations to identify and assist disaster survivors.
  • Personal contact with 162,540 people by Mitigation’s Community Education Outreach teams at special events and during weeklong sessions at hardware stores in Middle and West Tennessee.
  • Personal contact during more than 20,919 visits to 66 Disaster Recovery Centersestablished by TEMA and FEMA to provide one-on-one help and speed recovery.
  • Inspections of 57,659 homes with reported damage to determine eligibility for housing assistance.
In addition to the $301.6 million in federal assistance to individuals, FEMA has also:
  • Awarded an Immediate Services Program crisis counseling grant of $380,265 to the state to implement the Tennessee Recovery Project to help survivors deal with the after-effects of disaster.
  • Approved $300,000 in Disaster Unemployment Assistance for almost 400 Tennesseans who lost their jobs because of the severe storms and floods in the spring.
 
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA and TEMA do not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.
 
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
 
FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.
 
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.  If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call
800-462-7585.
 
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