Governor Lee declares a state of emergency and requests FEMA assistance following devastating flooding in East Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has declared a state of emergency after devastating flooding hit areas of eastern Tennessee in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

On Friday, September 27, Helene dumped several dozen inches of rain on the Volunteer State, closing multiple roads in Middle and East Tennessee, causing flash flooding around the Great Smoky Mountains and causing “significant damage.”

Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26 off the coast of Florida toward Georgia before weakening into a tropical depression over the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

The death toll is rising after Helene hits the South

On Friday afternoon, the governor issued Executive Order 105. The declaration states that Tennessee has “requested, in part, the President of the United States to declare a national emergency and has declared a major disaster and state of emergency beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday.”

During a state of emergency, certain state laws may be suspended to expedite relief efforts in affected areas, including providing health care to those affected by storms, providing prescription drugs, participating in health programs, waiving license fees for people needing ID from photo, allowing more humanitarian aid vehicles to move on normally closed roads when needed, and more.

The state of emergency remains in effect until 11:59 p.m. Central Time on November 10, in accordance with the executive order.

Multiple road closures were reported in Cocke, Carter and Unicoi counties, where flooding most impacted routes.

Dozens of people had to be rescued from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital as floodwaters nearly inundated the Ballad Health facility.

Ballad Health: All rescued from Unicoi County Hospital

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to “quickly approve” the governor’s disaster declaration. The letter calls on the president to issue approval “as soon as possible,” citing the “catastrophic flooding” that has “devastated communities throughout East Tennessee.”

Blackburn said some areas of the state received 6 to 3 inches of rain in just 48 hours, mentioning the Unicoi County Hospital emergency response and more than 75,000 power outages reported after the storm.

The senator said more rain is expected in middle and west Tennessee over the weekend, warning that more damage will be done to the state.

Blackburn’s letter was also signed by Tennessee’s entire congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R) and U.S. Representatives Chuck Fleischmann (R), Mark Green (R), Tim Burchett (R), Steve Cohen (R), Scott DesJarlais (right), David Kustoff (right), Diana Harshbarger (right), Andy Ogles (right) and John Rose (right).

On Saturday, September 28, Biden approved an Emergency Declaration for Tennessee.

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The Tennessee National Guard was also activated throughout eastern Tennessee to support state, county and local emergency responders in flood-affected areas.

“Our priority is to quickly deploy troops to affected areas and assist first responders with rescue efforts,” said Tennessee Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Warner Ross. “We are monitoring the situation and stand ready to support for as long as necessary to keep our fellow Tennesseans safe.”

The Tennessee National Guard was previously dispatched to Unicoi County to rescue doctors, staff and patients trapped on the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital. Within an hour of receiving the call for help, Tennessee Air National Guard soldiers assigned to the 1-230th Attack Helicopter Battalion in Knoxville assembled three UH-60L Blackhawk helicopters and their crew for an air rescue operation.

According to the Tennessee Military Department, all personnel and patients were transported to a local high school, and the mission ended at approximately 3:08 p.m.

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