Assistance Still Available for Storm Victims

WASHINGTO, D.C. (February 16) - One month after President Joseph Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration after severe storms and multiple tornadoes cut a path across middle and west Tennessee, more than $4.9 million in federal grants and low-interest disaster loans have been approved for homeowners, renters and businesses.

This includes:

• Approximately $915,456 in FEMA grants for renters and homeowners.
• More than $4 million in disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for businesses, homeowners and renters.

Individual Assistance:

Over the last 30 days, FEMA disbursed $750,287 in Housing Assistance (HA), which includes grants to repair or replace a damaged primary residence and/or provide temporary housing assistance (including rental assistance) for those whose primary residence became unsafe or uninhabitable due to tornado damage.

Other Needs Assistance (ONA) has put $165,169 in disaster survivors’ hands to help with rebuilding and

recovery. ONA pays for serious necessities directly related to the storms and tornadoes, like transportation, storage and moving fees, childcare, miscellaneous expenses, and funeral costs. Grants through FEMA Individual Households Program (IHP) are intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts. IHP is not intended to return disaster-damaged property to its pre-disaster condition and only a survivor’s primary residence is eligible for assistance.

The deadline to apply for FEMA’s Individual Assistance is March 15, 2022.

There are several ways residents in Cheatham, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Gibson, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Stewart, Sumner and Weakley counties who sustained storm and/or tornado damage may apply for FEMA assistance:

• The fastest and easiest way to apply is by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov. There is no wait to apply online and the website is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• If it is not possible to apply for disaster assistance online, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Multilingual specialists are available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, seven days a week. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others:

* Update the "Current Phone" field using the relay service phone number

* Add "Relay Service" to the Note box; provide FEMA with your number.

• Use the FEMA app, which can be easily downloaded to a smartphone. Public Assistance

Thirteen Tennessee counties are now eligible to receive FEMA Public Assistance reimbursement funds to help communities repair and replace damaged infrastructure, public buildings and some facilities operated by private nonprofits, such as houses of worship. The PA declared counties are Cheatham, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Gibson, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Stewart, Sumner, and Weakley. PA is a cost-share program in which FEMA reimburses applicants for at least 75 percent of eligible costs; the remaining 25 percent is covered by the State of Tennessee.

Examples of activities eligible for reimbursement include debris removal, emergency protective measures, repairing roads, restoring utilities, and rebuilding public facilities. Communities interested in applying for PA should contact their local or state emergency manager to begin the process and submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) form. Interested parties have until March 4, 2022, to submit an RPA to FEMA. For more information on the PA program, go to www.fema.gov.

Hazard Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP).

Also, under the Major Disaster Declaration, eligible applicants throughout Tennessee may apply for grants under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation program. Eligible applicants and sub-applicants include the state, local and tribal governments, and certain private non-profits. Homeowners may participate through their local city or county government. To learn more, go to www.fema.gov.

United Way of West Tennessee: Call 211 for the United Way of West Tennessee for tornado relief/assistance. Visit http:uwwt.org to find links to the campaign pages for Cheatham, Dickson, Dyer/Lake, Gibson, Sumner, Weakley and Wilson counties.

SBA Business Recovery Centers: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continues to operate a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Weakley County at the Weakley County Professional Development Center, 8250 TN Highway 22, Dresden, TN 38225. The BRC is open Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; offices are closed Saturday and Sunday.

Disaster Legal Services: Residents with legal issues due to the tornadoes may call 844-HELP4TN (844-435-7486) or reach out to attorneys online at https://tn.freelegalanswers.org/. Additionally, survivors can access information about their rights and resources, including links to upcoming legal clinics, and local resources at https://www.help4tn.org/. Disaster legal services are authorized by FEMA in cooperation with the Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. Tennessee USDA Farm Service Agency: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides emergency loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to natural disasters, like severe storms and tornadoes. To learn more, go to https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Tennessee/index Disability Rights Tennessee: Disability Rights Tennessee is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to protect the rights of Tennessee residents with disabilities. To learn more, visit the organization’s website or reach out to a member of the Intake Team directly by calling 1-800-342-1660.

For more information on Tennessee’s disaster recovery, visit www.tn.gov/tema.html and www.fema.gov/disaster/4637. You may also follow FEMA on www.facebook.com/fema and Twitter @FEMARegion4.