Tenn. Begins to Assess Damage, Requests Federal Disaster Declaration

Recovery efforts are underway in the Tennessee counties where severe weather and deadly tornadoes struck Tuesday. Gov. Phil Bredesen toured some of the hardest hit counties in west and middle Tennessee on Wednesday and Thursday.

Initial damage assessments show 483 homes destroyed, 170 homes damaged, 52 mobile homes destroyed and 26 damaged across 24 counties.

“To those who have lost loved ones or suffered injury, the thoughts and prayers of our state are with you,” said Bredesen. “Our priority today is to support our first responders and those most impacted by the storms. As we look forward, I pledge the full resources of state government to help people rebuild and get back on their feet as quickly as possible.”

On Thursday, Bredesen asked President Bush to declare 21 Tennessee counties federal disaster areas. The 21 counties included in the disaster declaration request are: Benton, Fayette, Fentress, Gibson, Hardin, Haywood, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Lewis, Macon, Madison, McNairy, Montgomery, Perry, Shelby, Sumner, Tipton, Trousdale, Wayne and Williamson.

Should this initial request for assistance be granted, residents in these Tennessee counties would have access to varying levels of federal assistance.

Source: Tennessee Emergency Management Agency