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As cleanup continues in flood-stricken communities in Washington County, Tennessee, state officials stop by for a first-hand look at the devastation.
News 5 took the tour alongside them and learned it's all in effort to get help to those who need it most right now.
The bottom floor of Ann Ingram's home is still drying out. It's evidence of the countless hours of work it will take to get everything back to normal after a devastating flood.
"We lost all the furniture downstairs [and] kitchen cabinets. We were under eight inches of water down there, and about 12 inches of mud in some places," Ingram told News 5.
Her story and many others have made their way from this little community all the way to Nashville, which is why we found Tennessee Deputy Governor Claude Ramsey taking a look first-hand.
"It always amazes me the strength that goes with running water. It can do a lot of damage, and it's done it here," Ramsey said.
Ramsey, along with other state and local officials, were taking mental notes to take back with them to Nashville and ultimately to Washington D.C. in hopes of getting some government help for families.
"It's all about the people and what they've lost, their homes, everything they've worked for all their lives," Ramsey explained.
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency [TEMA] director Jim Bassham told us, while they don't believe they will make the $8.5 million threshold for public assistance to help rebuild things like roads and utilities, the real key for this community is seeing if there is enough damage to qualify for FEMA's individual assistance declaration.
"We have 100 homes destroyed here in Washington County and another 20 or 25 [with] major damage, and we feel like that's sufficient to request the assessment team to come in, and we would hope then the President would declare us then a presidential disaster," Bassham told News 5.
We discovered that individual FEMA assistance can help rebuild, repair, and replace homes up to about $30,000.
For local representatives, it would be a victory to know their community is being financially cared for.
"It's very important for me to let the community know you are not forgotten and let the people in the community know you are not alone," said Tennessee 7th District Representative Matthew Hill.
But for those like Ann Ingram, it just means a much needed helping hand to clean up and move on.
"The quicker, the better, because the longer they wait the worse it's going to be," Ingram said.
We also learned a team from FEMA is scheduled to start its damage assessment Friday morning.
TEMA officials told us, if you are buying supplies to rebuild or repair flood damaged homes, you should save your receipts, and if that assistance comes through all victims are encouraged to apply even if they don't think they will qualify.
