Three Northern Panhandle Disaster Recovery Centers To Close 

Weirton, New Martinsville and Wellsburg centers closing shortly, Wheeling remains open

Release Date: November 1, 2004
Release Number: 1558-081

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Three Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) placed in operation in the Northern Panhandle after September's Hurricane Ivan flooding will close this week and next, federal and state officials announced. They are the DRCs in Weirton, Hancock County; New Martinsville, Wetzel County, and Wellsburg, Brooke County.

The closing dates are:

The DRC in Wheeling, at the Old Social Security Building, 50 16th St., remains open until further notice. The hours of all open DRCs are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The three centers slated to close have assisted more than 1,650 homeowners, tenants and business people who registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FREWMA) with Ivan storm damage. The Wheeling DRC has assisted more than 1,770 people.

Residents who have questions after a given DRC closes can call FEMA's Helpline from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week, at 1-800-621-3362, or TTY 1-800-462-75875 for the speech- or hearing-impaired. Helpline representatives will be able to give the same information provided by officials at the recovery center.

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 Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Monday, 01-Nov-2004 11:58:43