On Tuesday Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $19.7 million in financial and technical assistance to help communities rebuild and repair damages caused by flooding, drought and other natural disasters in 20 states across the nation.Funds are made available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. The State of Tennessee was allocated a total of $2.3 million in financial and technical assistance for potential projects located in Cumberland, Decatur, Grundy, Hardin, Hickman, Jackson, Lewis, Lincoln, Moore, Perry, Shelby – City of Lakewood, Sumner, and Wayne counties.Disaster recovery projects are administered by NRCS in partnership with local sponsors, often municipal or county governments. NRCS pays up to 75 percent of the construction costs while the remaining 25 percent is paid by local sponsors.When funding is dedicated to a project, contracts for construction work are awarded to local companies, spurring job creation.The majority of the funds received in Tennessee will be used to remove debris clogging waterways and stabilize eroding stream banks."A strong safety net is important to the long-term success of American communities," Vilsack said.