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Federal government provides support for Tennessee tornado victims
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
mental health weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7583
pISSN - 1058-1103
DOI - 10.1002/mhw.32309
Subject(s) - tornado , government (linguistics) , mental health , receipt , agency (philosophy) , natural disaster , storm , political science , medicine , psychiatry , business , geography , sociology , social science , philosophy , linguistics , accounting , meteorology
The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) announced in a March 26 press release its receipt of nearly $500,000 from the federal government to support the mental health needs of survivors of recent tornadoes. Tornadoes and severe storms on March 3 caused 25 weather‐related deaths; damaged or destroyed more than 4,000 structures, including five public schools; left more than 100,000 residents without power; and closed state government offices. The grant for $476,061 is through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Crisis Counseling & Training Program. “On top of the tragic deaths, injuries and destruction that comes with a natural disaster like this, there's also invisible damage to the mental health of storm survivors. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, post‐traumatic stress or some other trauma, it's natural for people to need professional help and healing,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams. “We're grateful to FEMA for this grant, and we're thankful for our community behavioral health providers who will be delivering these services.”