Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
State legislators may convene for a special session to look at flood relief options for East Tennessee.
Governor Bill Lee made the announcement during the Governor’s Conference held on Thursday but noted that there had not been any concrete plans made at this point.
“We’ve certainly talked about, do we need to have some sort of an emergency plan for flood relief,” Lee stated. “But there’s been no plans to call a special session other than for potential flood relief that’s coming to those counties.”
Thirteen counties in East Tennessee are eligible for assistance given through local governments and some non-profit organizations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency: Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington.
The program provides supplemental grants that can be used for cleanup, protective safeguards, and restrengthening of public infrastructure.
Sevier County will be able to apply to receive assistance as well, but they will not be able to get as much as other counties.
FEMA announced that assistance in response to Hurricane Helene totaled more than $344 million and had reached approximately 375,000 households as of last Wednesday.
3 Responses
If you calculate the money FEMA claims to have spent, it’s only about $1,000 per household – less than they’ve given the illegals.
I would rather TN gives money to the Hurricane victims than to the TN Titans.
Now THAT’S worthy of a special session.
I guess record-setting flooding also doesn’t constitute a “rainy day” just as Lockdown Lee’s executive orders closed businesses, declared certain Tennesseans “non-essential” and gave imaginary medical powers to school boards – but the executive order-caused destruction was also not a “rainy day”. The Tennessee National Guard was deployed to administer covid tests and kill shot vaccines. The only thing worthy of calling a special session and touching the Rainy Day Fund was $2B for Ford in the midst of a “deadly pandemic”. Israel-firsters sent 700 of the Tennessee National guard to guard some other nation (again). Rename the Rainy Day Fund to the Corporate Welfare Fund. It isn’t used for Tennesseans in need.