Chapter ED Intelligence · Chapter Report
ARC of Southeast Tennessee
Southeast and Caribbean Division · Tennessee Region
TN · 12 counties · HQ Chattanooga, TN · FEMA Region IV
732,763
People
295,399
Households
42.8%
Households below the ALICE survival threshold
12
Counties · 4,806 sq mi
Nearly 43% of households across this chapter live below the ALICE survival threshold — the working families one disaster away from crisis.
In this report · Economic vulnerability · Who lives here · Home fire mission (FLARE) · mission delivery & the bespoke relationship strategy to follow
Sources: American Red Cross geography + 2023 demographics reference table; United Way ALICE + poverty (latest county year).
Geography & Footprint
The chapter's footprint.
12
Counties
4,806
Square miles
732,763
People
Tennessee Region
Southeast and Caribbean Division
| County | People | Sq mi | % of chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 374,183 | 576 | 51.1% |
| Bradley | 111,682 | 331 | 15.2% |
| McMinn | 54,082 | 432 | 7.4% |
| Monroe | 47,152 | 652 | 6.4% |
| Rhea | 33,461 | 336 | 4.6% |
| Marion | 29,209 | 512 | 4.0% |
| Polk | 17,871 | 442 | 2.4% |
| Sequatchie | 16,480 | 266 | 2.2% |
| Bledsoe | 15,254 | 407 | 2.1% |
| Grundy | 13,798 | 361 | 1.9% |
| Meigs | 13,188 | 217 | 1.8% |
| Van Buren | 6,403 | 274 | 0.9% |
HQ: Chattanooga, TN · FEMA Region IV. Counties sorted by population.
Who Lives Here
The people of this chapter.
43
Median age
$62,090
Median household income
18.9%
Age 65+
32.1%
Renter households
Age distribution
Race & ethnicity
Hispanic / Latino (any race): 6.8% of residents.
Source: American Red Cross 2023 demographics reference table. Chapter figures aggregate the 12 counties; median age and income are population-weighted.
Economic Vulnerability
Where the need is greatest.
| County | People | Median HH income | ALICE | Poverty | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy | 13,798 | $50,712 | 39.9% | 20.5% | 60.4% |
| Sequatchie | 16,480 | $50,820 | 34.9% | 23.4% | 58.3% |
| Bledsoe | 15,254 | $55,649 | 32.9% | 21.4% | 54.3% |
| Marion | 29,209 | $54,663 | 32.2% | 16.8% | 49.1% |
| Bradley | 111,682 | $57,885 | 30.8% | 16.3% | 47.1% |
| Monroe | 47,152 | $52,693 | 27.7% | 18.1% | 45.9% |
| McMinn | 54,082 | $54,480 | 31.3% | 14.4% | 45.8% |
| Polk | 17,871 | $52,180 | 28.6% | 17.2% | 45.8% |
| Van Buren | 6,403 | $50,000 | 28.9% | 16.3% | 45.2% |
| Meigs | 13,188 | $57,015 | 26.8% | 17.4% | 44.1% |
| Rhea | 33,461 | $52,655 | 27.3% | 16.4% | 43.6% |
| Hamilton | 374,183 | $69,091 | 26.3% | 12.3% | 38.6% |
Combined = households in poverty plus ALICE households (above poverty, below the cost of basics), as a share of all county households. Source: United Way ALICE, latest county year.
Risk & Disaster History
What this chapter is up against.
$276.6M
Expected annual loss, all hazards
Hamilton
Highest-risk county
59.4%
Avg social vulnerability (SVI)
5
FEMA declarations, 5 yr (top county)
| County | NRI risk | Exp. annual loss | SVI %ile | FEMA 5yr | FEMA all |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | Relatively Moderate | $140.1M | 56.4% | 5 | 25 |
| Bradley | Relatively Low | $35.8M | 67.3% | 3 | 18 |
| McMinn | Relatively Low | $18.2M | 57.0% | 3 | 16 |
| Marion | Relatively Low | $16.4M | 49.5% | 4 | 25 |
| Monroe | Relatively Low | $15.8M | 75.7% | 4 | 18 |
| Rhea | Relatively Low | $13.5M | 72.4% | 5 | 21 |
| Sequatchie | Very Low | $11.0M | 50.4% | 3 | 21 |
| Polk | Very Low | $6.8M | 51.6% | 5 | 23 |
| Grundy | Very Low | $6.3M | 51.9% | 5 | 22 |
| Bledsoe | Very Low | $6.0M | 70.0% | 5 | 25 |
| Meigs | Very Low | $4.0M | 48.8% | 5 | 19 |
| Van Buren | Very Low | $2.6M | 62.3% | 4 | 20 |
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index 2025 (risk rating, expected annual loss), CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022 (social-vulnerability percentile), FEMA disaster declarations — via the Red Cross national county database.
Disaster History
A chapter shaped by disaster.
43
Federal disaster declarations
1
Hurricanes
Severe Storm
Most common type
2026
Most recent
By incident type
Most recent declarations
| FY | Disaster | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm |
| 2026 | Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm |
| 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm |
| 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm |
| 2024 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm |
| 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado | Severe Storm |
| 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado | Severe Storm |
| 2021 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Tornado |
| 2020 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm |
| 2020 | Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological |
Source: FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 — county-level, deduplicated to unique disasters.
Home Fire Mission · FLARE 2024
Every home fire is a Red Cross moment.
377
Home fires (2024)
51.2%
Red Cross care rate
134
Fires with no Red Cross notification
5.1
Fires per 10,000 residents
Red Cross cared for 51% of home fires — but 134 (36%) happened with no Red Cross notification: the prevention, smoke-alarm, and response opportunity, county by county.
Source: FLARE Fire Incidents 2024 (American Red Cross, public layer). “With care” = Red Cross provided assistance; “no notification” = the Red Cross was never alerted to the fire.
Home Fire · Respond & Prevent
Red Cross shows up — and prevents.
4,181
Home-fire calls answered (RC response)
3,806
Single-family fire responses
2,624
Free smoke alarms installed
348
Multi-family fire responses
Red Cross answered 4,181 home-fire calls and installed 2,624 free smoke alarms across the chapter — response and prevention, county by county.
Sources: DRO National 800-RedCross Calls by County (RC fire responses); Smoke Alarm Installs FY15–FY24 (American Red Cross).
Blood & BioMed
The blood mission's local footprint.
4,795
Blood units collected (FY22–26)
183
Blood drives held
27
Drives in FY2026
8
Counties with drives
Blood drives are active in 8 of the chapter's 12 counties — every county without one is an employer or civic opening: a host site, a sponsored drive, a standing partnership.
Source: BioMed Collections FY22–FY26 (American Red Cross). Drives = collection events; units = products collected.
Red Cross Facilities
The chapter's physical footprint.
1
Red Cross facilities
1
Owned
0
Leased / licensed
0
BioMed sites
By type / function
BioMed facilities
No BioMed fixed sites in this chapter.
Sources: Red Cross real-estate portfolio (reintel.jbf.com) + BioMed facilities (biomed.jbf.com).
Locations, types and functions only — no cost, square footage, or lease terms are disclosed.
Red Cross Philanthropy · Major Donors
Who gives here.
Major-donor giving across the chapter — three fiscal years. Internal planning data.
$1,432,675
Total giving, 3-year
39
Major donors
$199,923
Current FY · ▼ 72% vs prior FY
$1,287,255
Top: Hamilton
| County | Major donors | Total giving, 3-year |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 29 | $1,287,255 |
| Bradley | 4 | $73,670 |
| Monroe | 2 | $26,000 |
| Rhea | 2 | $21,500 |
| Marion | 1 | $13,000 |
| Sequatchie | 1 | $11,250 |
Source: Red Cross major-donor giving by county, three fiscal years.
Internal / executive-director planning use — not donor-facing.
County Deep Dive
Hamilton County
374,183
People
$69,091
Median HH income
38.6%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age41.9
ALICE households41,566
Poverty households19,410
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$140.1M
Social vulnerability (SVI)56.4%
FEMA declarations (all time)25
Home fires, CY2024160
Fires, no RC notification76
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$1,287,255
Hamilton County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Bradley County
111,682
People
$57,885
Median HH income
47.1%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age41.1
ALICE households13,147
Poverty households6,972
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$35.8M
Social vulnerability (SVI)67.3%
FEMA declarations (all time)18
Home fires, CY202455
Fires, no RC notification22
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$73,670
Bradley County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
McMinn County
54,082
People
$54,480
Median HH income
45.8%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age44.5
ALICE households6,726
Poverty households3,098
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$18.2M
Social vulnerability (SVI)57.0%
FEMA declarations (all time)16
Home fires, CY202428
Fires, no RC notification8
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
McMinn County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Monroe County
47,152
People
$52,693
Median HH income
45.9%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age44.6
ALICE households5,345
Poverty households3,498
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$15.8M
Social vulnerability (SVI)75.7%
FEMA declarations (all time)18
Home fires, CY202436
Fires, no RC notification11
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$26,000
Monroe County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Rhea County
33,461
People
$52,655
Median HH income
43.6%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.7
ALICE households3,611
Poverty households2,168
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$13.5M
Social vulnerability (SVI)72.4%
FEMA declarations (all time)21
Home fires, CY202412
Fires, no RC notification0
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$21,500
Rhea County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Marion County
29,209
People
$54,663
Median HH income
49.1%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age44.9
ALICE households3,716
Poverty households1,941
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$16.4M
Social vulnerability (SVI)49.5%
FEMA declarations (all time)25
Home fires, CY202420
Fires, no RC notification10
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$13,000
Marion County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Polk County
17,871
People
$52,180
Median HH income
45.8%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age45.5
ALICE households2,042
Poverty households1,230
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$6.8M
Social vulnerability (SVI)51.6%
FEMA declarations (all time)23
Home fires, CY202416
Fires, no RC notification1
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Polk County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Sequatchie County
16,480
People
$50,820
Median HH income
58.3%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age43
ALICE households2,136
Poverty households1,434
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$11.0M
Social vulnerability (SVI)50.4%
FEMA declarations (all time)21
Home fires, CY202411
Fires, no RC notification1
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr$11,250
Sequatchie County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Bledsoe County
15,254
People
$55,649
Median HH income
54.3%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age42.9
ALICE households1,585
Poverty households1,030
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$6.0M
Social vulnerability (SVI)70.0%
FEMA declarations (all time)25
Home fires, CY20247
Fires, no RC notification1
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Bledsoe County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Grundy County
13,798
People
$50,712
Median HH income
60.4%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age44.3
ALICE households2,038
Poverty households1,046
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$6.3M
Social vulnerability (SVI)51.9%
FEMA declarations (all time)22
Home fires, CY202419
Fires, no RC notification4
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Grundy County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Meigs County
13,188
People
$57,015
Median HH income
44.1%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age46.8
ALICE households1,414
Poverty households916
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$4.0M
Social vulnerability (SVI)48.8%
FEMA declarations (all time)19
Home fires, CY202412
Fires, no RC notification0
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Meigs County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
County Deep Dive
Van Buren County
6,403
People
$50,000
Median HH income
45.2%
Combined ALICE + poverty
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk
People & economy
Median age47.9
ALICE households711
Poverty households401
Risk & response
Expected annual loss$2.6M
Social vulnerability (SVI)62.3%
FEMA declarations (all time)20
Home fires, CY20241
Fires, no RC notification0
Bridge assistance · DRO 220-25—
Major-donor giving · 3-yr—
Van Buren County · sources: Red Cross demographics 2023, United Way ALICE, FEMA NRI & declarations, FLARE CY2024.
Your Live Tools
The chapter's Experience Builder apps & federal tools.
Red Cross Intelligence Briefing
Chapter risk, hardship, hazards & county drilldowns
experience.arcgis.com
Disaster Response Intelligence
Spatial disaster-response intelligence
Experience Builder app
Red Cross Real Estate
Facilities & market intelligence
experience.arcgis.com
Service Area Planning
Service-area geography & planning
Experience Builder app
Community Mobilization V
Local resource & mobilization map
experience.arcgis.com
Biomed
Blood & BioMed footprint
experience.arcgis.com
FEMA RAPT
Resilience analysis & planning
www.fema.gov
Census Community Resilience
People & resilience context
www.census.gov
Red Cross Experience Builder apps give the live, drill-down companion to this report; federal tools add official context.
Sources & Methodology
Every number, traceable.
Tools produce facts; humans own decisions. Each figure in this report traces to a named source and vintage.
| Metric | Source | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| geography + 2023 demographics | ALICE master / Red Cross reference table | 2023 |
| ALICE + poverty households | MASTER counties ALICE+demographics | 2023 |
| flare | flare_fire_incidents (public AGOL, CY24) | CY2024 |
| smoke_alarms | GIS_MAP_FY15_to_FY24 (AGOL item b09f21d9…) | FY15–24 |
| lives_saved | Lives_Saved_Map_30_Apr_2026 (AGOL item ff313330…) | 2026 |
| blood | Biomed Collections 22-26 by chapter/county | FY22–26 |
| risk + disaster history | FEMA NRI 2025 · CDC SVI 2022 · FEMA declarations (red-cross-data county master) | FEMA NRI 2025 · SVI 2022 |
| fema disaster history | FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 | 2026 |
| facilities / real estate (no costs) | Red Cross facilities portfolio — reintel.jbf.com (locations, types & ownership only; no cost/lease terms) | FY25 |
| home-fire RC responses (SFF/MFF) | DRO National 800-RedCross Calls by County (org AGOL) | FY24–26 |
Geography: American Red Cross chapter↔county reference. The full machine-readable source ledger ships with the data bundle.
Appendix · County Data
Full county table.
| County | Pop | Households | Hardship | NRI risk | Exp. annual loss | Fires '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 374,183 | 153,306 | 38.6% | Relatively Moderate | $140.1M | 160 |
| Bradley | 111,682 | 43,238 | 47.1% | Relatively Low | $35.8M | 55 |
| McMinn | 54,082 | 21,852 | 45.8% | Relatively Low | $18.2M | 28 |
| Monroe | 47,152 | 19,221 | 45.9% | Relatively Low | $15.8M | 36 |
| Rhea | 33,461 | 13,376 | 43.6% | Relatively Low | $13.5M | 12 |
| Marion | 29,209 | 12,005 | 49.1% | Relatively Low | $16.4M | 20 |
| Polk | 17,871 | 7,334 | 45.8% | Very Low | $6.8M | 16 |
| Sequatchie | 16,480 | 6,483 | 58.3% | Very Low | $11.0M | 11 |
| Bledsoe | 15,254 | 5,210 | 54.3% | Very Low | $6.0M | 7 |
| Grundy | 13,798 | 5,546 | 60.4% | Very Low | $6.3M | 19 |
| Meigs | 13,188 | 5,258 | 44.1% | Very Low | $4.0M | 12 |
| Van Buren | 6,403 | 2,570 | 45.2% | Very Low | $2.6M | 1 |
One row per county. Combined hardship = poverty + ALICE households. Fires = FLARE CY2024.