Washington, D.C. – Members of the Tennessee U.S. congressional delegation announced today that they have sent a letter to President Donald Trump supporting Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s request for a major disaster declaration for 10 counties impacted by severe storms and straight-line winds in October.
The full text of the letter follows:
Dear Mr. President:
On behalf of the State of Tennessee, we are writing to express our support for Governor Bill Lee’s request to declare a major disaster pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act as a result of the damage caused by straight-line winds and storms associated with Tropical Storm Olga on October 26th, 2019.
Governor Lee has submitted a request for Public Assistance for Benton County, Decatur County, Hardin County, Henderson County, Houston County, Humphreys County, McNairy County, Montgomery County, Perry County, and Wayne County to respond to the overwhelming damage caused by straight-line winds and storms. The State has also requested statewide participation in FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The storms that swept across the State of Tennessee beginning on October 26th cost two Tennesseans their lives, blew over seven commercial tractor-trailers, shutdown the Tennessee River Bridge on Interstate I-40 for several hours, left nearly 65,000 Tennesseans without power, and closed down nine school districts for nearly a week. To date, the State of Tennessee has spent nearly $22 million responding to the storms. 8 of the 10 counties requesting Public Assistance are below the national poverty rate.
We strongly urge you to approve Governor Lee’s request, and we hope you will consider our State’s request as soon as possible. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since the beginning of this incident, and we are grateful for their efforts to respond to Tennessee’s needs. Our offices can provide you with any additional information should you have any questions.
The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Representative Mark Green (R-Tenn.).
