As eastern Tennessee residents start to rebuild their properties after last November’s wildfires, insurance claims have climbed to $842 million, well beyond the initial $500 million in insured damages estimated to have resulted from the blaze.
Quoting Tennessee Department of Commerce data,
USA Today said that the wildfires resulted in around 4,000 claims amounting to more than $800 million in total. The figures do not reflect uninsured damage, the publication said.
Fires raged in Gatlinburg as gale force winds blew flames down from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park late last year.
The report also said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved $2.5 million in assistance for housing and other needs while the Small Business Administration approved 35 loans worth nearly $4 million to help fire victims.
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