Tennessee Congressional Delegation Requests President Trump Approve Governor Bill Lee’s Disaster Declaration

All eleven members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting that he approve Governor Bill Lee’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration following severe weather in the Volunteer State earlier this month.

On April 2 through April 6, a severe storm system which resulted in a total of 19 tornadoes swept across the Volunteer State and left 10 dead across five counties – McNairy, Fayette, Carroll, Obion, and Tipton.

The storm system produced up to 15 inches of rain in some locations which caused severe flooding and flash flooding and straight-line winds with gusts up to 90 mph which caused significant damage to property in several counties.

More than 325 roads were closed or impassable and 25 water treatment facilities were impacted as a result of the storm system, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Last week, the governor formally requested a Major Disaster Declaration to make federal assistance available to the West and Middle Tennessee counties impacted by the severe storm.

On Thursday, the congressional delegation echoed the governor’s Major Disaster Declaration request to the president, which specifically requests FEMA Individual Assistance for 15 counties, FEMA Public Assistance for 23 counties, and FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for all 95 counties.

“On behalf of the State of Tennessee, we urge you to approve this request as soon as possible,” the congressional delegation wrote to the president.

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who led the letter to the president, was joined by U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and U.S. Representatives Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), Mark Green (R-TN-07), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), David Kustoff (R-TN-08), Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), and John Rose (R-TN-06) in sending the letter.

The governor’s Major Disaster Declaration request submitted last week is in addition to the Emergency Declaration he requested on April 2 and was approved one day later by the president.

– – –

Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photos “Flooding in Tennessee” by TEMA.