Disaster Recovery Center Closing But Fema Is Just One Phone Call Away 

Release Date: March 25, 2005
Release Number: 1539-415

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- The need for face-to-face disaster assistance to last year’s hurricane victims has declined rapidly, according to officials of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT). FEMA and SERT have provided that service through Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) at locations throughout Florida since August 2004.

As a result of the decline in requests for one-on-one type of assistance, the DRC located at Winn Dixie, 27680 Bermont Road in Punta Gorda will close permanently at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 30.

Although the deadline to apply for disaster aid has passed, disaster officials encourage those storm victims who have questions about the various disaster assistance programs to visit the DRC before it closes. Applicants also may visit the DRC to check on the status of their application.

Disaster officials will continue to be available weekdays now through next Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

To date, the DRC located at Winn Dixie has assisted more than 6,160 storm victims since opening on Nov. 26, 2004. Statewide, more than 575,600 Floridians have been helped either at one of the 73 fixed-site DRCs or at one of the 76 mobile DRC locations.

Residents may continue to have their questions answered by calling the FEMA Helpline, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) after the DRC closes. The hearing- or speech-impaired should call TTY 1-800-462-7585.

The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s state 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 impacts. Visit www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief efforts.

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

Last Modified: Friday, 25-Mar-2005 17:58:40