News

Responding to Helene

A letter from Executive Director Anne B. Pope

Anne PopeI know we are still in shock about the loss and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene across the South including Northeast TN. As we navigate the aftermath of this terrible disaster, our thoughts are with you, your friends, and loved ones. The immediate focus continues to be on recovery and basic needs such as food, water and shelter. We thought it might be helpful to include general disaster relief information for Tennessee.

Additionally, we do know many of the Northeast TN’s artists and arts and cultural organizations have been negatively impacted. Below we have listed a few potential resources including a guide on how the arts field can navigate natural disasters. In the days ahead we will be providing additional information as the situation changes and will be focused on how to best help those in the region’s arts and culture sector who have be adversely impacted.

TEMA

The state response and reaction to Helene is led by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). As recovery efforts continue, we urge Tennesseans to heed local guidance & follow Tennessee Emergency Management Agency website and Facebook page for key updates & resources. On Wednesday, October 2, the federal government approved Gov. Lee’s request for an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration in Tennessee as the state assesses damages and begins recovery from Hurricane Helene. At this time, the declaration includes the following Tennessee counties:  Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington.

The Tennessee Arts Commission is committed to connecting TN artists and arts organizations with resources that are offering recovery assistance, federal and otherwise. This situation is evolving rapidly, and we will work hard to provide timely information.

Additional resources:

  • The Arts Field Guide to Federal Disaster Relief walks you through FEMA and SBA relief programs, and has introductory information about 26 other federal resources that provide a mixture of financial and other assistance.
  • CERF+/The Artists Safety Net  – CERF+ can help get funds out to artists to help with missed income related to their artwork and possibly help replace lost tools and resources.

Our staff and I look forward to keeping you updated as we move ahead together. Additionally, we are working on an emergency resource webpage that will be available shortly.