Community preparedness — Tennessee
Floods, tornadoes, ice storms, and extreme heat from Memphis to the Smokies. UT Extension in all 95 counties. 40+ ham radio clubs. CERT teams statewide. Tennessee's 1,000-year flood in 2010 taught the whole state what community preparedness looks like at scale.
Enter your ZIP to find volunteer groups, training programs, civic organizations, and mutual aid networks in your area.
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Community calendar
95
County extension offices
4
NWS forecast offices
40+
Amateur radio clubs
13
Community colleges
Where to plug in
Tennessee runs from the Mississippi River floodplain to the Great Smoky Mountains, and its hazards run the full spectrum: flooding, tornadoes, ice storms, and thunderstorms statewide, with wildfire in the eastern mountains. UT Extension in all 95 counties anchors community resilience across a state nearly 500 miles wide.
University of Tennessee Extension serves all 95 counties. Programming spans agriculture (soybeans, corn, tobacco, cattle, nursery), horticulture, food safety, nutrition, 4-H, and community development. Tennessee State University also operates 1890 Extension programs. UT Extension's food preservation programming is among the most active in the South, reflecting Tennessee's deep canning and preservation culture.
The Master Gardener program trains volunteers for TN's long growing season. Extension runs flood preparedness education, tornado preparedness, drought management, and farm disaster recovery. After the 2010 Nashville flood — which covered much of the city in feet of water — extension agents helped agricultural producers statewide navigate USDA disaster programs.
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) coordinates the state's all-hazards emergency program through county emergency management agencies. Tennessee's EM system addresses flooding (the state's most costly recurring disaster), tornadoes (particularly the April 2011 super outbreak that produced 175 tornadoes in TN over 3 days), ice storms, and wildfire in the eastern mountains.
CERT programs are active across Tennessee. Shelby (Memphis), Davidson (Nashville), Knox (Knoxville), Hamilton (Chattanooga), and other counties run established programs. After the May 2010 Nashville flood killed 11 people and caused $2 billion in damage, Davidson County CERT became one of the most active in the state. Training is free.
American Red Cross chapters serve all of Tennessee. First aid, CPR, AED, and water safety classes are offered in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and other communities year-round. During the May 2010 Nashville flood, Red Cross opened shelters across multiple counties and provided disaster relief to thousands of displaced families. TN Red Cross deploys for tornadoes, floods, and ice storms. Volunteer entry points include shelter operations, disaster assessment, and feeding.
Tennessee has over 40 amateur radio clubs in the ARRL Tennessee Section. ARES teams are highly active during Tennessee's spring severe weather season, which produces multiple tornado events and flooding across the state. Ham operators were critical communicators during both the 2010 Nashville flood and the April 2011 tornado outbreak. Getting licensed costs $15 for the exam. Study at hamstudy.org.
Four NWS offices serve Tennessee: Memphis (western TN), Nashville (central TN), Morristown (eastern TN and the Smokies), and Huntsville AL (southern TN). Each runs SKYWARN training before severe weather season. Tennessee's complex terrain — river valleys, ridges, and mountain hollers — creates unique storm behavior that trained local spotters can interpret better than radar alone.
Tennessee averages about 25 tornadoes per year and faces catastrophic flooding from slow-moving rain systems. The state also deals with ice storms, extreme heat, and Smoky Mountain wildfire. Training is free.
Tennessee has over 185 public library locations overseen by the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Memphis Public Libraries, Nashville Public Library, Knox County Public Library, and Chattanooga Public Library run extensive programming. Tennessee's libraries often serve as cooling centers during summer heat emergencies and as community hubs during disasters.
Tennessee has 13 community colleges including Nashville State, Chattanooga State, Pellissippi State (Knoxville), Southwest Tennessee (Memphis), Roane State, and others. They offer EMT certification, fire science, welding, nursing, HVAC, and electrical programs.
Why this matters
On May 1–2, 2010, a nearly stationary weather system dropped 13 inches of rain on Nashville and Middle Tennessee in approximately 36 hours. The Cumberland River crested over 51 feet — 12 feet above flood stage. Neighborhoods that had never flooded were under 10 feet of water. The Opryland Hotel complex filled with feet of water. Two major interstate highways were cut in half. Eleven people in Davidson County were killed. Regional damage exceeded $2 billion.
In the initial hours, as professional emergency services were overwhelmed by the scale of simultaneous rescues needed across the metro, Nashville residents organized themselves. Neighbors with boats launched into flooded streets. Residents in unaffected neighborhoods mobilized quickly to check on vulnerable neighbors. Social media — still relatively new in 2010 — helped coordinate volunteer efforts in real time.
CERT-trained volunteers assisted with welfare checks and shelter operations. Ham radio operators provided communications. Red Cross opened shelters. Extension agents helped farm communities in Middle Tennessee assess losses and access recovery programs. Churches organized supply distribution. What emerged was described by emergency managers as one of the most effective spontaneous community disaster responses they had witnessed.
Nashville's 2010 flood built a culture of community preparedness that made the city more resilient. The organizations on this page extend that preparedness across all 95 Tennessee counties.
The foundation
Community resilience begins with a household that can take care of itself. Cover the first 72 hours, then extend outward to your street, your neighborhood, your town.
Start with the first 72 hours