In a special meeting of the Cocke County Legislative Body (CLB) in Tennessee on Tuesday evening, tensions ran high as local leaders and citizens confronted the federal strings attached to FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

While no final action was taken, the discussion laid bare the burdens of federal overreach, red tape, and economic hardship threatening the rural Tennessee community in the aftermath of catastrophic flooding.

Recent incidents of flooding have prompted a reexamination of where and how rebuilding should occur. Some residents, eager to rebuild, have initiated construction without waiting for the necessary approvals from FEMA.