Disaster Data / States / Tennessee
Tennessee: Federal Disaster Declarations
Tennessee has recorded 49 major disaster declarations since FY2000 (through FY2026), the federal government's fullest response to an event. Alongside those sit 8 emergency declarations and 9 fire management declarations, 66 in all. Its most common hazard is severe storm. It ranks #5 nationally by major disasters.
Totals: FY2000 to FY2026 · Page last rebuilt Oct 25, 2026 · the current in-progress fiscal year is not included in totals
Past 12 months
Recent declarations and aid so far
Tennessee has had 2 federal declarations in the past 12 months. The figures are what FEMA has reported to date and grow as recovery continues. All of them fall in complete fiscal years and are counted in the totals above.
| Declaration | Declared | Households approved | Individual Assistance | Public Assistance obligated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4898-TNMajor disaster · Winter Storm | Feb 6, 2026Incident period Jan 22 to 27, 2026 | 37,531of 70,357 registered | $115M | $119.6M |
| EM-3635-TNEmergency · Winter Storm | Jan 24, 2026Incident period Jan 22 to 27, 2026 | None reported | None reported | None reported yet |
DR-4898-TN has already approved 37,531 households for assistance, more than any other Tennessee disaster in FEMA's household assistance data, which begins in 2002. The previous high was DR-1909-TN in 2010, with 30,142. COVID-19 funeral assistance is left out of this comparison.
Individual Assistance is FEMA's Individuals and Households Program, from OpenFEMA's Housing Assistance data for owners and renters. Public Assistance is the obligated federal share from OpenFEMA's grant award activity, which usually starts posting weeks to months after a declaration. Select a declaration number to open its full event profile.
Federal Public Assistance obligated
$2.5B has been obligated to Tennessee in Public Assistance since FY2000.
$1.9B followed major disasters other than COVID-19. $34M followed emergency declarations, which cover debris removal and emergency protective work only. $559M, or 23% of the total, was COVID-19, which every state and county in the country received.
Obligated is the committed share, not necessarily spent, and can be revised as projects close out. Totals are summed from funded localities, so a declaration administered entirely at state level may not appear here.
Most common hazards
- Severe Storm 36
- Fire 10
- Tornado 4
- Severe Ice Storm 4
- Winter Storm 3
- Flood 3
- Tropical Storm 2
- Biological 2
All declarations on record
Major disaster (DR). The big one. Opens the full toolbox: repair money for public infrastructure, help for households, and mitigation funding to reduce the next loss.
Emergency (EM). Narrower and usually faster, for protective work before or during an incident. Capped, and rarely brings household assistance. Nearly every state and county has one from COVID-19.
Fire management (FM). Cost sharing to fight a wildfire as it burns. Not a disaster declaration, and it does not open recovery programs.
DR = Major disaster (Stafford Act) · EM = Emergency declaration · FM = Fire management assistance
Showing 66 declarations
| Date | Number | Type | Hazard | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | DR-4898-TN | DR | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| Jan 24, 2026 | EM-3635-TN | EM | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| Jun 19, 2025 | DR-4878-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EM-3625-TN | EM | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Oct 2, 2024 | DR-4832-TN | DR | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Helene |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EM-3620-TN | EM | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Helene |
| Jun 17, 2024 | DR-4792-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Dec 13, 2023 | DR-4751-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Tornadoes |
| Sep 27, 2023 | DR-4742-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado |
| Sep 4, 2023 | DR-4735-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds |
| Aug 17, 2023 | DR-4729-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds |
| May 17, 2023 | DR-4712-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado |
| Apr 7, 2023 | DR-4701-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes |
| Mar 8, 2023 | DR-4691-TN | DR | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| Mar 11, 2022 | DR-4645-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| Jan 14, 2022 | DR-4637-TN | DR | Tornado | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes |
| Dec 13, 2021 | EM-3576-TN | EM | Tornado | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes |
| Aug 23, 2021 | DR-4609-TN | DR | Flood | Severe Storm And Flooding |
| May 8, 2021 | DR-4601-TN | DR | Tornado | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Apr 21, 2021 | DR-4594-TN | DR | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| Jan 5, 2021 | EM-3552-TN | EM | Other | Explosion |
| Jul 9, 2020 | DR-4550-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding |
| Apr 24, 2020 | DR-4541-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding |
| Apr 2, 2020 | DR-4514-TN | DR | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| Mar 13, 2020 | EM-3473-TN | EM | Biological | Covid-19 |
| Mar 5, 2020 | DR-4476-TN | DR | Tornado | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding |
| Dec 6, 2019 | DR-4471-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storm And Straight-Line Winds |
| Apr 17, 2019 | DR-4427-TN | DR | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides |
| Jun 23, 2017 | DR-4320-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding |
| Dec 15, 2016 | DR-4293-TN | DR | Fire | Wildfires |
| Nov 28, 2016 | FM-5167-TN | FM | Fire | Chimney Top Fire |
| Nov 19, 2016 | FM-5165-TN | FM | Fire | East Miller Cove Fire |
| Nov 11, 2016 | FM-5160-TN | FM | Fire | Smith Mountain Fire Complex |
| Nov 9, 2016 | FM-5159-TN | FM | Fire | Flippers Bend Fire |
| Apr 2, 2015 | DR-4211-TN | DR | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Flooding |
| Aug 13, 2014 | DR-4189-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding |
| Apr 11, 2014 | DR-4171-TN | DR | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| Mar 16, 2012 | DR-4060-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds And |
| Jul 20, 2011 | DR-4005-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And |
| May 9, 2011 | DR-1978-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, And Straight-Line Winds |
| May 9, 2011 | DR-1979-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| May 4, 2011 | EM-3321-TN | EM | Flood | Flooding |
| May 1, 2011 | DR-1974-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Associated Flooding |
| Mar 31, 2011 | DR-1965-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Sep 15, 2010 | DR-1937-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| May 4, 2010 | DR-1909-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes |
| Aug 21, 2009 | DR-1856-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Jul 13, 2009 | DR-1851-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding |
| May 15, 2009 | DR-1839-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Feb 17, 2009 | DR-1821-TN | DR | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Flooding |
| Feb 7, 2008 | DR-1745-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding |
| Apr 5, 2006 | DR-1634-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Tornadoes |
| Sep 5, 2005 | EM-3217-TN | EM | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| Oct 7, 2004 | DR-1568-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Jul 29, 2003 | DR-1482-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, High Winds, And Heavy Rain |
| May 8, 2003 | DR-1464-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
| Mar 20, 2003 | DR-1456-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Nov 13, 2002 | DR-1441-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Tornados |
| Apr 5, 2002 | DR-1408-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Nov 14, 2001 | FM-2389-TN | FM | Fire | Tn - Ridge Crest Fire - 11/14/2001 |
| Nov 3, 2001 | FM-2387-TN | FM | Fire | Tn - Chattanooga Fire Complex - 11/03/01 |
| Aug 15, 2001 | DR-1387-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding |
| Nov 3, 2000 | FM-2348-TN | FM | Fire | Tn-Greeneville Fire Complex-11/03/00 |
| Nov 3, 2000 | FM-2347-TN | FM | Fire | Tn - Cookeville Fire Complex - 11/03/00 |
| Nov 2, 2000 | FM-2346-TN | FM | Fire | Tn - Knoxville Fire Complex - 11/02/00 |
| Jun 12, 2000 | DR-1331-TN | DR | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding |
Individual Assistance to households
FEMA Individual Assistance to households across Tennessee, combined across the Housing Assistance owner and renter programs. Valid registrations are households that applied within a designated Individual Assistance area; approved figures are those FEMA found eligible under the Individuals and Households Program. Self-reported, drawn from NEMIS through OpenFEMA, and present only where Individual Assistance was designated.
| Assistance type | Approved amount |
|---|---|
| Repair and replacement | $224M |
| Rental assistance | $55M |
| Other needs | $253M |
Hazard mitigation funded
Federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance obligated across Tennessee to reduce future disaster losses, by program. Figures are federal share obligated, reported through OpenFEMA and not audited.
| Program | Projects | Federal share obligated |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) | 444 | $190M |
| Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) | 31 | $8M |
| Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) | 25 | $3M |
| Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) | 2 | $2M |
| Legislative Pre-Disaster Mitigation (LPDM) | 1 | $264K |
Denied requests
FEMA turned down 4 declaration requests from Tennessee since FY2000, a declaration-request denial rate of 5.7%. This is the President denying a governor or tribal leader's request for a declaration, tracked in a separate FEMA dataset from approved declarations, and is not the same thing as an individual being denied assistance under an approved declaration.
| Date | Type | Hazard |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2026 | Major Disaster | Straight-Line Winds |
| Mar 18, 2025 | Major Disaster | Severe Storm |
| May 27, 2022 | Major Disaster | Fire |
| Feb 6, 2002 | Major Disaster | Severe Storm |
How these numbers are built
Every figure is drawn from FEMA's OpenFEMA datasets: the Disaster Declarations Summaries for declarations and the Declaration Denials dataset for turndowns, rebuilt automatically each week. A "declaration" is one unique combination of declaration type (DR / EM / FM), disaster number, and state, so a single disaster affecting five states counts as five declarations. Years are federal fiscal years (Oct 1 to Sep 30). Totals, ranks, and rates on this page cover complete fiscal years only. Declarations from the fiscal year still in progress are listed in each state's declaration tables and its recent-declarations panel, but are not counted in any total until the year is complete. Uses OpenFEMA data but is not endorsed by or affiliated with FEMA.