Gov. Bill Lee requests Federal Emergency Assistance for ten counties affected by tornadoes

04/05/23

HARDIN COUNTY, TENN (WNBJ)

Plenty of devastation remains from the tornadoes that ripped through ten counties in Tennessee on March 31st and April 1st, claiming 15 lives.

“We had two tornadoes come through. We had the F2 that came through directly through MooreChapel. And then we had the long track F3 that came through. They went from county line to county line. We had significant damage from both," said Hardin County's Deputy EMA Director Larae Slager.

Hardin County was one of the ten counties torn apart by tornadoes (Cannon, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lewis, Macon, Mcnairy, Rutherford, Tipton, and Wayne).

“We had roughly around 120 structures damaged. And of that, we had 39 that were 100% lost.

Whether they were completely wiped out down to their slabs or they were just unlivable," Slager added.

Still, deputy Slager points out they were lucky compared to other counties, “We were blessed that we didn't have any loss of life. And we only had three minor injuries. Our counties around us were not quite so lucky.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has requested Federal Emergency Assistance for the counties affected.

The federal money would be used to remove debris and help with the recovery efforts.

“There's lots of cleanup still going on. Red Cross is out there going to all the residents and assisting with getting them food, water, cleanup stuff, and anything like that. And we've been taking the donations also and getting it out to the communities," Slager said.

If the governor’s request for assistance is approved, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would help eligible Tennessee residents with disaster-related costs and expenses.

“I think it would help us significantly if if we get declared…it will help because it will help the businesses recover. We'll help the utility companies recover from some of the significant losses they took. And then the residents recover because they're able to receive some funding to assist with rebuilding their homes," Slager said.

39 news will keep you updated on whether the federal government approves the request to help the Tennessee counties now recovering from tornado damage.