In response to the catastrophic flooding that has impacted Texas, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has coordinated with the Memphis Fire Department to deploy a Canine Search Team—Human Remains Detection (CST-HRD) team to Kerr County, Texas, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
Today, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency announced the awarding of $41,353,959 from the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund (GRRF) to support needs across the Helene-impacted communities.
Eligible entities are required to attend an applicant briefing if they plan to submit a FEMA Request for Public Assistance (RPA). The current deadline to submit a RPA is July 19, 2025. At these briefings, information will be presented on becoming an applicant, eligibility, and documentation. TEMA staff will go over program requirements, special issues, payments, final inspections, and closeout. If your organization needs assistance submitting an RPA, please email TEMA.PA@tn.gov. Please note, if assistance is requested to submit an RPA, eligible applicants are still required to attend the applicant briefing.
Today, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency announced that in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local partners, Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) will be opening on Friday, June 27, in multiple counties to assist survivors affected by the April 2-6 severe weather.
Today, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency announced the massive waterway debris cleanup effort launched by the State of Tennessee in response to Tropical Storm Helene is coming to a close, with nearly 5 million cubic yards of debris collected from affected rivers and lakes across the region.
Today, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reminded eligible applicants to apply for the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund (GRRF) on the TEMA website by Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, along with representatives from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) Architects, and TW Frierson Contractors, celebrated the groundbreaking of the new TEMA Warehouse and Middle Region Coordination Center today. The $59.3 million project, approved by the Tennessee State Building Commission, will significantly enhance the state’s emergency preparedness, response capacity, and operational efficiency.
On Thursday, April 18, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee formally requested a Major Disaster Declaration to make federal assistance available to the West and Middle Tennessee counties impacted by severe weather and flooding on April 2-6. The request follows completed damage assessments across impacted counties.
On behalf of Governor Bill Lee, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick C. Sheehan announced today that applications are now open for the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund (GRRF), a $100 million initiative established to provide flexible financial assistance for current and future unmet disaster recovery needs, including Tropical Storm Helene.
Many Tennesseans continue to recover from the recent severe weather and flooding that impacted West and Middle Tennessee communities. If your home or property has sustained damage during this week’s severe weather, and it is safe to do so, take photos of damage before cleanup efforts and make note of any losses. We encourage you to report any damages to your insurance company and your local emergency management agency to help expedite the damage assessment process.
Today, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) announced it continues to work with local officials and federal partners to conduct damage assessments following severe weather over the last week across West and Middle Tennessee.
TEMA continues to support joint preliminary damage assessments (PDAs) with local and federal partners in impacted counties. As of this release, PDAs have been conducted in 10 counties. The results of these assessments help determine whether the damage meets the requirements, as defined by law, for a federal major disaster declaration to be requested. A declaration is typically based on the severity and magnitude of the event, and whether the affected areas are unable to recover without external support.
Damage assessments are ongoing and will be validated to determine if federal requirements have been met. The results of the damage assessments help determine whether the damage meets the requirements, as defined by law, for a federal major disaster declaration. A declaration is typically based on the severity and magnitude of the event, and whether the affected areas are unable to recover without external support.
On April 2, an impactful storm system entered the area and stalled until moving out of the state on April 6. During that time, an unprecedented period of severe weather and prolific rainfall occurred in several waves of thunderstorms across West and Middle Tennessee. The National Weather Service has completed preliminary surveys of EF-3 damage in McNairy and Hardeman counties and EF-1 damage in Franklin, Hardin, Humphreys, Weakley, and Wilson counties. There are still many areas remaining to be surveyed. Significant rainfall has resulted in catastrophic flash flooding and continued moderate to major river and areal flooding. Flooding is expected to continue in the coming days.
Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms moved through West and Middle Regions throughout the day into the night. A bowing storm segment in West Region had significant wind gusts and potentially embedded tornadoes. Additional thunderstorms due to significant heavy rainfall, a Flash Flood Emergency was issued for the Memphis Metro area, along with many flash flood warnings across most of the state.