6-Month Milestone-At a Glance

Recovery operations continue on multiple fronts six months after the Kentucky tornadoes on Dec. 10-11, 2021. At the request of the state, a federal emergency declaration was issued Dec. 11 and President Biden approved a major disaster declaration Dec. 12. As of June 1, a total of $81.9 million in federal disaster assistance was approved for survivors. Below are the recovery highlights:

Federal Disaster Assistance-By the Numbers

• FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program
  • 16 counties were designated for federal assistance: Barren, Caldwell, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Hart, Hickman, Hopkins, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Taylor, Warren
  • $15,585,577 approved for individuals and households, including:
    • $11.2 million approved for housing assistance
      • $4.38 million in repair assistance
      • $4.55 million in replacement assistance
      • $2.27 million in rental assistance
  • $4.3 million approved for Other Needs Assistance, which helps to replace essential household items and other critical disaster-related needs

• FEMA’s Public Assistance (infrastructure and emergency work program)
  • 23 counties were designated for some form of federal assistance: Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Caldwell, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Grayson, Hart, Hickman, Hopkins, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Shelby, Spencer, Taylor, Todd, Warren
  • 746 projects, large and small, are under review. Before they can be obligated, each proposed project must be evaluated for compliance with federal laws and policies including Environmental and Historic Preservation regulations. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate assistance from insurance proceeds and funding from other sources.
  • 86 projects obligated for $6,347,338, including two large projects, each more than $1 million:
    • $1,585,196 -- to Bowling Green Municipal Utilities for its mutual aid use of 18 utility companies that assisted in power restoration and repairs. Three utility companies from Kentucky, three from Tennessee and 12 from Georgia assisted in the emergency response between Dec. 12 and Jan. 10.
    • $2,409,846 -- to Marshall County for expenses paid to remove and dispose of vegetative debris between Dec. 27 and Jan. 25. The work included expenses for labor, equipment, material and contract costs.

• FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program
  • Total Claims: 6                   Total paid: $79,261

• Disaster Unemployment Assistance (FEMA funded; operated by The Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance)
  • $1,531,140 approved for Kentuckians who lost their jobs or have been unable to work as a result of the tornadoes

• U.S. Small Business Administration
  • 640 disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters and businesses for a total of $58,405,500, including:
    • $49.8 million in home loans (581)
    • $8.5 million in business loans (59)

• Disaster Recovery Centers
  • 18 centers, including seven fixed sites and 11 mobile centers, opened across 16 counties designated for FEMA Individual Assistance: Barren, Caldwell, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Hart, Hickman, Hopkins, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Taylor and Warren
  • 7,327 visitors from Dec. 20 to March 19

• FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams
  • conducted door-to-door outreach during the Dec. 12 to March 14 registration period
  • visited 11,193 homes, providing registration assistance, updates, resources and referrals, and responded to inquiries

• FEMA’s Multilingual Services
  • Multilingual Helpline received 233 requests for interpretation in 16 languages, enabling non-English speaking callers to apply for assistance or ask questions. Helpline specialists can interpret in 120 languages
  • FEMA also provides an over-the-phone translation service for disaster workers interacting with Kentucky tornado survivors

• FEMA Direct Temporary Housing
  • Six counties approved: Caldwell, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg and Warren
    • 53 households in the six counties placed in temporary homes

• FEMA-funded Crisis Counseling and Disaster Legal Services
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and FEMA approved the free Crisis Counseling Immediate Services Program for up to 60 days; the Regular Services Program was approved for up to nine months, or until Jan. 15, 2023.
  • Disaster legal services were approved for low-income residents unable to afford their own lawyer. The free service is a partnership between FEMA, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the Kentucky Bar Association and other Kentucky legal groups.

• FEMA Hazard Mitigation
  • Community Education and Outreach teams visited hardware stores to offer free advice and information on how to rebuild stronger and more resilient homes. They also offered home improvement tips and proven methods to help prevent or reduce damage from future disasters.
  • Counseled 6,528 people at 108 locations
    • Provided 21 stormwater model demonstrations to 616 participants at nine locations
    • Floodplain Management and Insurance teams provided local floodplain administrators with general technical assistance to help communities build back safer through enforcement of local codes and floodplain management regulations.

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • Debris removal operation conducted Dec. 23 to April 4 in Graves County, including Mayfield
    • 433,408 cubic yards of debris removed from public rights-of-way in Graves County
      • 265,453 cubic yards of debris removed from public rights-of-way in the City of Mayfield