Congressman Cohen Again Seeks Governor’s Request for FEMA Assistance

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to today wrote Governor Bill Lee for a second time seeking emergency assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damage done in Memphis and Shelby County by recent winter storms. Congressman Cohen noted that the dollar value of the damage now exceeds the minimum federal threshold.

The letter reads in part:

“As the dean of the Tennessee congressional delegation, I am following up on my December 29, 2022, letter to strongly urge you to request assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)…for the City of Memphis and Shelby County in response to the recent winter storm that hit our region starting on December 22, 2022.

“As of January 6, 2023, the Shelby County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency has confirmed that damages from the storm have exceeded the federal county threshold and is estimated to be $4.2 million. Some of the damage estimates include $2.1 million to Memphis, Light Gas and Water (MLGW), $703,000 to the City of Germantown, $518,150 to Shelby County Schools, $459,491 to the city of Memphis, $275,000 to Christian Brothers University, and $50,000 to the University of Memphis.

“Since the amount of damage from this storm has now exceeded the minimum requirement, I believe a swift request of disaster assistance is prudent to ensure that our county can receive the necessary support to adequately address the damages that have been incurred.”

Read the entire letter here.

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