Biden approves Major Disaster Declaration in Tennessee after floods

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — President Joe Biden has approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Tennessee, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on Wednesday.

According to a news release from FEMA, federal disaster assistance is available to the state to assist in recovery efforts after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene.

Federal funding will be available to impacted people in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties.

FEMA stated that assistance can include the following:

• Grants for temporary housing and home repairs
• Low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses
• Other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the storm’s effects

State and local governments in those counties, as well as some private nonprofits, can also access federal funding on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work.

“For a period of 45 days of the state’s choosing within the first 120 days from the start of the incident period, assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program is authorized at 100% of the total eligible costs,” the release states.

Biden previously approved a federal emergency declaration and an expedited Federal Major Disaster Declaration in Virginia.

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