More Than $2.1 Million In Flood Aid Delivered in Tennessee
Release Date: September 6, 2001
Release Number: 1387-10
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Greeneville, TN -- The initial checks for housing assistance have been mailed to residents in the seven disaster-declared Tennessee counties who suffered flood damage during the period, July 27 through August 22, 2001.
"We are pleased that so far 210 checks for a total of nearly $430,000 are approved and on the way to those who need to get back on their feet after their homes were inundated by the recent flooding," said Gracia Szczech, the federal official in charge of the recovery effort. The number of checks received will increase as our Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel complete their inspections of damaged homes."
So far, 657 registrations have been received. The registration count by county is as follows: Carter, 45; Cocke, 40; Greene, 228; Johnson, 43; Shelby, 154; Unicoi, 69 and Washington, 78. These counties were designated for Individual Assistance on August 27, following the presidential declaration for Public Assistance (infrastructure) on August 15.
John D. White Jr., the state coordinating officer, added, "Affected residents and business owners in the seven declared counties should apply for assistance immediately if they have not done so already. This can be done by making one phone call to FEMA's hotline, 1-800-462-9029 (1-800-462-7585 for the speech or hearing impaired). The hotline is available everyday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., until further notice."
In addition to disaster assistance for individuals, reimbursements to municipalities for flood damage have begun. Communities located in the six-county area of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington may be eligible for federal disaster funds, which provide 75 percent of the eligible costs for debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster, and repairing or replacing damaged public facilities.
To date, with about 52 percent of the municipal applications processed, more than $1,745,000, has been awarded to the state of Tennessee to reimburse applicants for infrastructure repairs in the six affected counties.
Last Modified: Thursday, 09-Oct-2003 14:46:45