Brentwood and Williamson County may receive federal recovery assistance under a Major Disaster Declaration as a result of severe weather and flooding.   The Major Disaster Declaration may provide FEMA’s Individual Assistance program to impacted Williamson County individuals and households.

APPLY HERE for Disaster Assistance.

Note:  Applying does not guarantee that financial assistance will be provided.

How to Apply

Individuals can apply for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program in the following ways:

• Apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov  
• Call the application phone number at 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585), 6 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Central Time
  • Multilingual operators are available.

Disaster Recovery Center

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, and local agencies will be available at the MARCs to help individuals understand various disaster assistance programs, apply for disaster assistance, and find other programs where they may receive recovery help.

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program

https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual

Small Business Administration Loans (can help residents also)

In addition, Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to businesses, as well as residents. Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property.  Interest rates are as low as 3% for businesses, 2% for nonprofit organizations and 1.25% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

For more information on the SBA loans, visit:  disasterloanassistance.sba.gov

• If online or mobile access is unavailable, applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362
• SBA Loans for Disaster Recovery Fact Sheet

Temporary Rental Assistance

Rental assistance is not money that must be returned to FEMA. Those funds may be used to lease a house, apartment or manufactured home.

To be considered for temporary rental assistance:

• Homeowners and renters must have been displaced from their primary residence that was damaged in the storms. Eligibility is based on a FEMA assessment of the primary residence.

• Primary residences are uninsured or whose coverage is not enough to meet their temporary housing needs.
• You may also be considered for rental assistance if you are willing to relocate while the home is being repaired.

The initial rental assistance award is based on the fair market rent established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the county in which the disaster-affected home is located. The award is also based on the number of occupied bedrooms the household requires.

Rental assistance is intended to cover the monthly rent and cost of essential utilities (gas, electric, water, trash and sewer). It does not include telephone, cable, TV or internet service. The award can also be used to pay a security deposit not more than the cost of one month’s rent.

The first step to seeking rental assistance is applying for FEMA assistance. There are several ways to apply:

• Visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Download FEMA’s mobile app. For information, go to: fema.gov/mobile-app.
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available, and lines are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time. Those who use a relay service such as a videophone, InnoCaption or CapTel should provide FEMA with their specific phone number assigned to that service.

Additional Information

If you have insurance, you should file a claim with your insurance company immediately. FEMA assistance cannot aid with losses already covered by insurance.

Public Assistance provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and specific facilities of certain private nonprofit organizations. This assistance includes debris removal, repairs to publicly owned roads and bridges, water control facilities, buildings and equipment utilities, and the restoration of public parks. This type of federal assistance can provide 75% reimbursement of eligible expenses which can oftentimes eliminate the need to increase taxes or invoke rate hikes to successfully recover from the event.

Individual Assistance can provide supplemental assistance to disaster survivors for unmet needs caused by a disaster. Support may include assistance for temporary housing and housing repairs, critical disaster-related expenses, the replacement of essential personal property, and funding to local governments for related program services.