Nashville Standard

United States Senator Bill Hagerty recently appeared on Fox Business's "Cavuto: Coast to Coast" to discuss the severe impact of Hurricane Helene on East Tennessee. The senator emphasized the urgent need for federal emergency relief and resources for Southeastern states affected by the storm.

Discussing the devastation in Tennessee, Hagerty stated, “The amount of damage, devastation, and heartbreak that is happening here in Tennessee is just unbelievable. We’ve never seen anything like this before. Often, they’ll talk about events that would occur once every 100 years, once in a 200-year period, once in a 500-year period, we’ve seen those. This is a once in a greater than 1000-year event. Nobody has seen anything like this in recorded history."

Hagerty highlighted significant challenges such as damaged infrastructure and lack of essential services: "We’ve got whole communities that are cut off, bridges that are out, roadways that are out, no water supply, electricity is down."

Regarding FEMA's resources for hurricane relief efforts, Hagerty expressed readiness to return to Washington D.C., saying: “I’m more than willing to come back [to Washington D.C.] tomorrow from a legislative standpoint to make certain that we have the funding appropriated and ready to go."

He also acknowledged support from other states' leaders: "Florida Governor [Ron] DeSantis is sending teams up to help us here in Tennessee. Everybody’s pitching in."

Senator Hagerty stressed the importance of prioritizing resource allocation for affected states and ensuring FEMA has adequate funds.