FEMA is on the ground after the Middle Tennessee tornadoes to provide residents assistance

Tornadoes devastated portions of Middle Tennessee in December 2023, and many residents are still working to recover.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration has a presence in the region to ensure that survivors get the help they need to survive and thrive.

And it's not just for this natural disaster; this among seven federal declarations of emergencies.

Yolanda J. Jackson, federal coordinating officer for FEMA was sent to the Volunteer State to coordinate efforts. She spoke about her role on Episode 390 of the Tennessee Voices video podcast.

Residents and business owners have until Feb. 12 to request assistance for home repairs and other uninsured expenses.

FEMA has partnered with the Small Business Administration to provide low-interest loans to business owners who were negatively impacted by the storms.

Call 1-800-621-3362, visit disasterassistance.gov or download the FEMA app to learn more and apply.

The Tennessee Voices video podcast launched in March 2020 to engage thinkers, leaders and doers across the state of Volunteers State in conversation about the issues of the day. The discussions promote, encourage and model civil discourse in alignment with The Tennessean's Civility Tennessee initiative.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters.. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: FEMA is providing assistance for disaster recovery