DRC Operations Temporarily Suspended until Frances Passes 

Release Date: September 1, 2004
Release Number: 1539-085

» More Information on Florida Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonnie

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) located in the areas affected by Hurricane Charley will temporarily suspend operations until Hurricane Frances, presently approaching the eastern Florida coastline, has made landfall and all danger has passed.

All centers will close today (Sept. 1) at 8 pm and remain closed until Hurricane Frances has passed and a safety and security inspection, conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT), has been completed.

This temporary suspension of DRC activities frees up local first responders to concentrate on providing all necessary emergency needs to their communities. It also allows residents to focus their attention on the pending preparations. DRC personnel will be ready to get back to work quickly after the danger has passed

Should Hurricane Frances make landfall along the Florida coast, an immediate survey of all DRC locations will be conducted as soon as the all-clear signal is received. Once the DRC sites are inspected and approved for service, they will reopen to continue with their mission of assisting those affected by Hurricane Charley.

The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s emergency management agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief effort.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 01-Sep-2004 12:59:28