FEMA money to go to roads, utilities, cleanup in Hardin County

HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — Weeks after towns along the Tennessee River flooded, they’re receiving money from the federal government for cleanup.

“We had over half a million dollars worth of damage in public infrastructure, so with the roads, utilities, water lines and such, that was damaged,” Hardin County EMA Director Melvin Martin said.

Hardin County only has about 25,000 residents, so rebuilding is a task they could not take on by themselves.

“FEMA will come in and reimburse up to 75 percent of those costs, so that’s what we’re looking at to definitely help on that,” Martin said.

That money does not go to personal property.

“We are still having a lot of areas out there that are, people are still working on, getting their home just back into a place they can live in. A lot of places are not livable yet,” Martin said.

They hope the money will get approved sooner rather than later.

“It’s a long process working with FEMA, and the people who live along here in Hardin County are resilient, and they will build back if FEMA comes or not,” Martin said.

As of now, the Small Business Administration will be coming to Hardin County to set up low-interest loans for businesses and individuals to help rebuild.