The flood surrounds the home in Ridgeley, Tennessee on April 9, 2025, after 96 hours of heavy rain. (Photo: Cassandra Stephenson)

President Donald Trump Major disaster declarations have been approved For some Tennessee counties on Friday, it opened the door to federal recovery support for individuals and county governments who have been costly damage from the April storm.

The decision has been more than two months after the violent storms raided in central and western Tennessee, resulting in a once-in-a-generation flood that has killed 10 people and damaged hundreds of homes.

The declaration provides federal funding to individuals in Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Dyer, Hardeman, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion and Wilson counties. Individual assistance includes temporary housing and home repair grants, low-cost loans to cover uninsured losses, and other post-disaster support services. FEMA directs individuals to file claims with insurance providers earlier Apply for federal assistance.

Federal government cost shares to cover public property emergency, repair and replacement costs are available to states, eligible local governments, and some nonprofit organizations. Public aid is available in 19 counties: Cheetham, Davidson, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Grandi, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henry, Hickman, Lauderdale, Madison, McNailly, Obion, Perry, Stewart, and Tipton.

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A FEMA spokesman confirmed on Monday that federal assistance confirmed 75% of eligible recovery costs. State and local governments should cover the remaining 25%. Historically, Tennessee has split its 25% share equally with local governments.

Gov. Bill Lee initially requested individual assistance from 15 counties and public assistance for up to 30 counties, in addition to funding for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which the state will use towards preventive measures to reduce future risks and harms from natural disasters. Hazard mitigation support is under review.

The cost of damage to public property and recovery services It is expected to exceed $26 millionaccording to a preliminary assessment conducted by local, state and federal emergency management agency (FEMA) officials. The estimate does not include individual losses and can be more difficult to calculate. The Tennessee Department of Emergency Management estimated that around 300 homes and 14 businesses or nonprofits had suffered significant damage.

In McNairy County, an EF-3 tornado with wind speeds of 160 mph killed five people and killed the devastated Swass of Selmer, the county seat. Estimated to damages to private property at $27.6 millionaccording to the county emergency management department. A preliminary assessment showed that damage to public property, roads, utilities and government facilities in McNairy County was an additional $2.7 million. A joint assessment supported by federal officials found that the total damages covered by FEMA’s public assistance programme was close to $4 million.

Governor Lee: Disaster Multi-Year Strings Run Out of State Resources

Tennessee is the last state to receive a declaration from the Trump administration after the April storm. Arkansas, Kentucky and part of Mississippi.

The President has the sole authority to grant a disaster declaration and therefore allows access to FEMA’s assistance programs. After a disaster, local and state governments sometimes begin to assess the cost of damage, with the help of federal officials. The governor then uses these figures to request federal support from the president. I use FEMA Cost Thresholds per CAPITA Institutions make recommendations to the President to measure whether local and state governments are able to handle the recovery, but meeting those thresholds does not guarantee the President’s approval.

Report: Under the proposed FEMA threshold, recovery will spend more TN $468M from 2008-2024

The administration shows it plans to reduce the amount of federal aid available to states through FEMA following natural disasters. It demands that the nation bear more economic responsibility For recovery. Trump initially denied Arkansas’ demand for a major disaster declaration following the March tornado, but later tolerated and approved personal and public aid.

state Requiring disaster declarations is increasingAnd for the past 25 years, states in the Mississippi Lower River Basin have seen five approvals for each rejection compared to a 2-1 approval rate from 1953 to 1999. Tennessee received nearly $1.2 billion in federal aid following natural disasters since 1953, according to FEMA data.

Tennessee has experienced 18 major disaster declarations over the past five years, according to Lee’s letter to the Trump administration calling for federal assistance after the April storm.

Lee’s request is that from winter storms in January 2023 to tornadoes and wildfires to most of the town towns in Western Tennessee in February 2025, tornadoes and wildfires in 2024, the state has not managed multiple disasters.

Recovery of 23 major disaster declarations that remain open in Tennessee, including recovery from tropical storm Hellene, will continue. The state has allocated $500 million to Helene Recovery efforts.

These efforts have exhausted state resources “to a degree that they are nervous and will continue to affect current and past calendar years budgets.”