Floridians On The Road To Recovery, Thanks To The Disaster Recovery Centers
Release Date: May 13, 2005
Release Number: 1539-449
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» More Information on Florida Hurricane Ivan
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» More Information on Florida Hurricane Jeanne
ORLANDO, Fla. -- As a result of decreased volume and people’s continued recovery and focus on the upcoming hurricane season, the last three disaster recovery centers (DRCs) in the state will close at the end of the day today.
“It’s a great sign of progress, that Floridians are moving ahead with their lives,” said Bill Carwile, federal coordinating officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), commenting on the closings and their important contributions to recovery.
“The face-to-face help provided by recovery specialists at the DRCs was the kind of assistance Floridians needed to help them move on with their lives,” Carwile said. “The DRC closings are a clear indication that the need for their services has declined and residents are getting back to a more normal way of life for themselves and their families.”
When the first DRC opened in Port Charlotte on Aug. 17 of last year, four days after Hurricane Charley hit Florida, no one could have predicted that it was the beginning of an unprecedented hurricane season that would also include Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.
Since then, FEMA and the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), opened 196 DRCs in 47 counties in Florida and have provided more than 589,300 disaster assistance applicants with vitally needed program and service information. At peak operation, in November 2004, there were 52 DRCs operating statewide.
“Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have been helped by visiting DRCs,” said Craig Fugate, state coordinating officer. “The recovery centers have proved to be a valuable resource for our residents and are examples of FEMA’s and the state’s commitment to the recovery process.”
DRCs close at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Friday, May 13, in Lake Wales and Port Charlotte, and at 6 p.m. Central Daylight Time in Pensacola.
The Lake Wales DRC opened Aug. 21 of last year and served 28,551 applicants. The Port Charlotte DRC opened Nov. 15 and served 8,572 applicants. The Pensacola DRC opened Oct. 2 and served 38,573 applicants.
Applicants who still have questions about disaster assistance or want to check the status of their applications, may call the FEMA Helpline, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Monday through Friday. 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, 13-May-2005 14:56:54