Area Resident Information

TVA’s Outreach Center in Kingston has now worked
with almost 750 families to address their questions,
concerns, and property damage claims.

This outreach to local residents began when the ash spill occurred in the early morning of Monday, December 22, 2008. At that time, members of the Roane County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (EMHS) responded immediately, along with TVA, and we appreciate their skill and professionalism. TVA’s first priority at Kingston was to help the people directly impacted, especially the three families whose homes were severely damaged. We ensured that they were safe and that they had temporary housing, meals, and other necessities.

We established teams of TVA employees and retirees to provide a single point of contact for each family affected to ensure their needs were met and their concerns addressed. The five community outreach teams began visiting 10 to 15 homeowners each day and attended meetings with homeowner and community groups to answer their questions.

On January 6, TVA opened the Outreach Center at 509 North Kentucky Street in Kingston where TVA staff members continue to be available to respond to residents’ inquiries. TVA activated a phone number, 800-257-2675, for property owners to call if they need an assessment of damages. Claims adjustors and field staff were provided by a national claims management company at the Outreach Center to conduct on-site damage assessments.

Following the spill, TVA participated in public meetings hosted by Roane County and the cities of Kingston and Harriman to provide information and answer questions. TVA hosted a public open house with representatives from key state and federal agencies on January 15 at Roane State Community College where local residents could pose questions to experts and obtain information. A second open house was held March 30.

TVA representatives also have attended several other homeowner and community meetings and public forums to provide updates and answer questions. Please check this Web site for the latest information on recovery site operations.

Health Questions

To address potential health issues, residents with medical issues that they believe are associated with the ash spill are referred to the local office of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) at the Roane County Health Department.

TVA also has contracted with Ridgeview Psychiatric Clinic for those individuals in the affected area who would like to talk with a mental health professional about what they have experienced.
View a brochure on the program.

TVA is developing a plan to respond to individual health concerns, including a process for determining whether there are health effects that may be related to the ash released from Kingston. We have contracted with Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) to provide community members and the local medical community with access to medical and toxicology experts who have experience and knowledge in the health effects related to contaminants in the ash. ORAU is a consortium of 100 universities that collaborate to advance scientific research and education. It has expertise in public health communication, design of medical monitoring
programs, and independent verification of the cleanup of contaminated sites. Details on how to access these medical experts will be coming soon from ORAU.
View a letter that includes a short explanation of what ORAU will offer.

It should be noted these programs are available to residents of Roane County only.

Property Purchases

TVA has worked first with the property owners most affected by the Kingston ash spill. We are working hard to be responsive and responsible as we address property owners’ claims, and we appreciate the patience of the property owners as we have worked through this process.

The released ash covered about 300 acres, of which eight acres were privately owned lands, not owned or managed by TVA. Within the first month, TVA began purchasing affected properties using appraisals by state-certified residential and general appraisers. Offers were made based on the higher of two independent appraisals. The appraisals are based on property
values as of December 20, 2008, before the spill.

TVA has purchased more than 100 properties to date. TVA may purchase additional property that is directly affected by the remediation efforts moving forward. TVA is committed to ensuring that Roane County property tax revenues will not be negatively affected by the purchase of these properties.

Recreation

The Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Health, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and Tennessee Valley Authority are issuing an advisory regarding boating, swimming and fishing on Watts Bar Reservoir. Read More.

Page Updated June 26, 2009 10:52 AM