Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is working to apply Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance to help counties affected by twin tornadoes on June 5th.
The storms claimed three lives and left thousands without power.
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama declared 18 counties as federal disaster areas as a result of severe weather June 5-10.
“This federal aid will help our communities in rebuilding and recovery,” Haslam said in a release. “State and local teams worked quickly to survey damage in more than 35 counties to determine the impact of these storms, and we are grateful for this assistance.”
The federal disaster declaration includes Anderson, Bledsoe, Carroll, Decatur, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Lawrence, Lewis, Madison, Marion, Maury, McNairy, Moore, Perry, Roane, Sequatchie and Tipton counties.
The National Weather Service confirmed two tornado touchdowns were part of the storm system. The first tornado, an EF-1 with wind speeds in excess of 80 m.p.h., left a 12-mile debris path across Lake and Obion Counties on June 7. The other confirmed tornado, rated an EF-0, touched down in Kingston, Tenn.
FEMA assistance allows for debris removal, emergency protective measures and rebuilding and repairing roads, bridges and utilities. State and local governments spent nearly $10 million in recovery from the wind and flash-flood damages. Counties with disaster status are eligible to receive federal reimbursement for up to 75 percent of recovery costs.
A presidential disaster declaration also includes FEMA’s hazard mitigation grant program on a statewide basis.
