We’ve been engaged with the affected states since last Saturday when the rain began to fall, and currently have representatives on the ground in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana to measure the damage and provide federal assistance where needed.
On Monday night I met with Governor Bredesen of Tennessee, and on Tuesday, the Governor requested, and the President signed, a federal disaster declaration for the state, standing up federal assistance by way of temporary housing and home repair grants, loans to cover losses from uninsured property, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover. The President signed a similar declaration for Alabama the day before.
To date in Tennessee:
- 27 counties have been declared as federal disaster areas;
- Approximately 12,000 individuals have registered for FEMA assistance;
- FEMA has approved over $1.5 million in federal assistance for housing and other needs.
I’ll join Secretary Napolitano tomorrow in Nashville, where we’ll meet with state and local officials and receive briefings on the coordinated federal, state, and local response efforts underway.
Individuals who live in the affected area can register for federal assistance by calling the FEMA hotline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov. You can also visit the fema.gov from your mobile device for more information at http://m.fema.gov/.
Individuals should always be prepared for a disaster like this. Visit ready.gov for information to prepare for the unexpected.
Craig Fugate is the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)