Disaster Recovery Centers to Open in South Padre Island and La Feria
Release Date: August 15, 2008
Release Number: 1780-015
» More Information on Texas Hurricane Dolly
McALLEN, Texas -- Two additional federal-state Disaster Recovery Centers will open in Cameron County to assist individuals, households and businesses affected by Hurricane Dolly.
One center will open at 10 a.m. Saturday at Suites at Sunchase, 1004 Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, TX 78597. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday until further notice.
The La Feria Fire Department will host the second new Disaster Recovery Center from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday of next week. The address is La Feria Fire Department Meeting Room, 200 E. Business Highway 83, La Feria, TX 78559.
An additional Disaster Recovery Center serves Cameron County at Harlingen Municipal Auditorium, 1204 Fair Park Blvd., Harlingen, TX 78550.
Hidalgo County has centers at La Villa Middle School, 500 E. Ninth St., La Villa, TX 78562, and at the Community Resource Center, 509 E. Earling Road, San Juan, TX 78589.
Willacy County residents are served by a center at the American Legion, 211 W. Hidalgo Ave., Raymondville, TX 78580. An additional location at the Martin Cavazos Center, 3870 N. West Ave., Sebastian, TX 78594 is open through close of business Saturday.
Hours for all centers are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Representatives from state agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) staff the centers.
Applicants for disaster assistance should register by calling FEMA toll-free 800-621-FEMA (3362). Those with a speech or hearing impairment may call TTY 800-462-7585. English, Spanish and other multilingual operators are available. Applicants who have access to a computer can register online at www.fema.gov.
Once registered, FEMA disaster recovery specialists can check an individuals case, answer questions about their claim, or request information FEMA needs to process their claim. Recovery specialists can also supply contacts for other programs that may be able to help.
SBA provides low-interest loans to cover the uncompensated losses for personal contents up to $40,000 for both homeowners and renters and up to $200,000 for homeowners for physical damage to their primary residence. The SBA also provides low-interest loans up to $2 million for uncompensated physical losses suffered by businesses of any size and private, non-profit organizations. Additionally, working capital loans are available for economic injuries sustained by small businesses in the declared counties and the adjoining counties. The combination of the two business loans cannot exceed $2 million.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Friday, 15-Aug-2008 12:26:41