Nashville taking steps to lessen storm burdens; more FEMA aid approved

Nearly all Nashvillians had regained power as of Friday — 13 days after massive outages began — and both Metro and federal leaders are escalating the next stages of the recovery. (This is the latest as of 10:45 p.m. Friday.)

By the numbers (10:45 p.m. Friday)

• just 200 outages linger in Nashville, and about 1,300 statewide
• 23 water utilities in the state report issues related to weather; 7 have boil water advisories
• 22 active and possible water main breaks in Nashville
• 29 winter storm-related deaths confirmed statewide by Tennessee Department of Health
• Four confirmed deaths in Nashville and a fifth believed linked to the cold weather

Resources:

• Nashville/Davidson County or call 211
• TEMA – To request assistance, call 844-965-1386 for free storm-related property cleanup, including fallen trees.
• Damage support: If you cannot afford repairs or have access to insurance, savings or contractor support, you can request for assistance here.
• Rent and mortgage support: Up to $2,000 per household. Qualification information and application here. 

Restore Nashville campaign

As a part of the “Restore Nashville” campaign announced Friday, Mayor Freddie O’Connell is asking Metro Water Services to introduce legislation to suspend all penalties on water bills. If approved by the Metro Council, it would suspend turn-offs and late fees for February.

Metro Finance will also be re-allocating $750,000 from the American Rescue Plan for use in the Emergency Winter Housing Assistance program. That program also received a donation from the Tennessee Titans this week. It will be administered through the Metro Action Commission.

“In the first hour alone, we received more than 130 applications. And on its second day, we are already at 800 applications,” said Metro Action Executive Director Jamekia Bies. “This shows just how great the need is.”

The application for the housing fund will be open only through Thursday.

Applicants must reside in Davidson County, have been impacted by the storm, and meet income eligibility requirements.

The city will also open two disaster assistance centers at the Hadley and Smith Springs regional centers. Staff there will help connect residents in need with food, health and other resources.

Nashville calls for volunteers as cleanup phase accelerates

More federal help

A major federal disaster was declared Friday for 15 counties in Tennessee. This provides funds for local governments, some nonprofits and individuals.

Counties approved are: Cheatham, Chester, Clay, Davidson, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Lewis, McNairy, Perry, Sumner, Trousdale, Wayne and Williamson counties. An additional eight counties were already eligible for a lower level of assistance.

Individual assistance can reimburse storm survivors for an array of needs.

Learn more at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/.

This story was last updated at 10:45 p.m. Friday.