FHA 203(h) Disaster Loans in Tennessee

DR-4898, declared February 6, 2026 for the January 22–27 winter storm, designated 29 counties for Individual Assistance: Benton, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Clay, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Lewis, Macon, Madison, Maury, McNairy, Montgomery, Perry, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby, Sumner, Trousdale, Wayne, Williamson and Wilson. That covers both Nashville and Memphis. Individual Assistance is the designation that creates 203(h) eligibility — 66 other Tennessee counties received Public Assistance only, which funds public infrastructure repair and does not make individual borrowers eligible.

FHA 203(h) applications must be submitted within one year of the declaration. DR-4898 was declared on February 6, 2026, so the deadline is February 6, 2027. That is a firm date, and missing it is the single most common reason disaster victims never use this program.

Not necessarily — the clock runs from the declaration date, not the storm date. The storm hit in late January 2026 but the declaration came on February 6, 2026, so applications are open until February 6, 2027. If you are reading this before that date, the window is still open regardless of how long the repairs have dragged on.

Possibly, yes — and this is the part almost nobody knows. You did not have to own the home you lost. If you were renting in one of the 29 designated counties and that residence was destroyed, or damaged badly enough that it has to be rebuilt or replaced, 203(h) may let you buy a home of your own with no down payment.

No. The replacement home does not have to be in the disaster area. If it makes more sense for your family to move to another part of Tennessee, or to another state where we are licensed, 203(h) still applies.

Yes. We pair 203(h) with an FHA one-time close construction-to-permanent loan, so a single loan covers the rebuild and then becomes your permanent mortgage — one closing, and no mortgage payments while the home is under construction. Construction lending is our specialty, which is why we can structure this when many lenders cannot.

No. These programs are designed to work alongside each other, and most families end up using more than one. Talk to us about how your FEMA grant, insurance settlement, or SBA loan fits with the mortgage — the sequencing can matter, and we would rather help you plan it than have you guess.