NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Authorities have said Wednesday that 16 people died after the remnants of Hurricane Helene caused a state of emergency in East Tennessee.
Here are where those have died:
- Two in Cocke County
- One in Greene County
- One in Knox County
- One in Johnson County
- Eight in Unicoi County
- Three in Washington County
As of Wednesday morning, some people are still missing. Those people reported to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are from Cocke County, Greene County and Unicoi County. However, emergency authorities said this doesn't account for the full total of unaccounted individuals — just public leads that still need clearing.
Both the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are on the ground working with families in need.
FEMA is processing more than 4,100 total registrations and has approved more than $1.3 million in funding to survivors, including more than $996,000 in housing assistance.
FEMA has validated 4,502 registrations and has approved more than $3.1 million in Individual and Household Program funding.
On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Lee announced tax relief measures for affected Tennesseans.
The Department of Revenue has extended the franchise and excise tax filing and payment due dates to May 1, 2025, for all taxpayers located in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties. Additionally, the department will extend the franchise tax Schedule G refund filing deadline for businesses located in these counties to May 1. These extensions will be applied automatically.
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Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
