Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison this morning said funding through the states HEAL Program will provide the county $17.5 million to assist in immediate needs related to damage from Tropical Store Helene.
Soon after the storm, Governor Bill Lee announced the HEAL program, which stands for Helene Emergency Assistance Loan, a $100 million fund to directly serve the health and wellness of Tennesseans in the aftermath the hurricane. The program is basically a no-interest loan that provides funds to begin immediate repairs, without having to wait for FEMA reimbursements. In the past, FEMA payments have taken several years to come through. The HEAL program allows governments to begin necessary repairs immediately, and pay the money back once FEMA payment is received.
Of the total amount, up to $35 million is to be used for water and wastewater infrastructure repair and $65 million is to be allocated for debris management across eligible counties.
Greene is one of 12 area counties eligible for the ten year no-interest loans.
A total dollar estimate of damage for the county is not yet available.
As the local damage pertaining to Greene County home owners, Morrison says 114 homes were either destroyed or damaged during the disaster.
In addition to Greene, other area counties eligible for assistance through the program are Washington, Unicoi, Cocke, Hawkins, Sullivan, Hamblen, Carter, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson and Johnson.
