President Joe Biden (D) on Tuesday declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Tennessee, a move requested by Governor Bill Lee (R-TN).
Due to the declaration, Biden now controls the ability to order federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm and flooding.
Governor Lee sent the request to the Biden administration on Sunday. In the letter, Lee details the extent of the damage of the catastrophic floods, mainly focused in Dickson, Hickman, Houston, and Humphreys counties.
However, according to a press release from the White House, the president’s action will direct federal funding to affected individuals in Humphreys County.
According to Lee, among the damages, at least 16 deaths have been connected to the severe weather and more than 10,000 homes and businesses will be without power for days or weeks.
The White House also detailed that the federal funds can be used in a wide variety of ways.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the Biden administration detailed.
In order to expedite Biden’s approval, multiple members of the Tennessee Congressional delegation pledged to provide the Biden administration with any assistance needed to expeditiously approve the governor’s request.
“We write to urge swift approval of Governor Bill Lee’s request for an expedited major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act due to catastrophic flooding caused by record-setting rainfall on August 21, 2021,” U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined Representatives Mark Green (R-TN-07) and Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) and wrote in their letter.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Joe Biden” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Tennessee flood” by Stephen Yeargin CC BY-SA 2.0.
