Florida Disaster Recovery Centers To Cease Operations
Release Date: January 10, 2006
Release Number: 1609-053
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Wilma
ORLANDO, Fla. -- After nearly three months of serving Florida residents impacted by Hurricane Wilma, all remaining Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) will be ceasing operations within the next two weeks, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT) announced today.
The remaining DRCs will permanently close after conducting business on the days listed below. Until their closure, they will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
At the peak of hurricane-relief activity, 41 Disaster Recovery Centers were operating throughout the area affected by Wilma. As of Jan. 9, DRCs had served more than 135,000 Florida residents. At their peak activity, DRCs across Florida served more than 5,000 residents in a single day. As more Floridians have received assistance – to the tune of nearly $290 million – the number visiting the remaining centers has diminished to a small fraction of that activity.
Although DRC operations will cease, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) workshops will continue at several former DRC locations. At the workshops, visitors can receive help in filling out disaster loan applications from the SBA. The workshops are expected to continue through the end of January and perhaps longer, if needed. The locations and hours for the SBA workshops are also noted below.
The final day to apply for FEMA assistance is Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006. Applications for assistance made on or before Jan. 19 will continue to be processed after the application deadline has passed. To apply for federal disaster assistance, residents must first register with FEMA. There are two ways to register: log on to www.fema.gov or call FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those with speech or hearing impairment. Both numbers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.
Residents with questions about their disaster assistance may still call the Helpline, at the same numbers listed above, even after the application deadline. They may also check the status of their application online.
Thursday, Jan. 12
Miami-Dade County
Uleta Park Community Center
16880 NE 4th Ave.
N. Miami Beach, FL 33162
Friday, Jan. 13
Broward County
Festival Flea Market
2900 NW 29th St.
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
Broward County
Old Miramar City Hall
6700 Miramar Parkway
Miramar, FL 33023
Collier County
Golden Gate Community Center
4701 Golden Gate Parkway
Naples, FL 34116
Monroe County
Habitat for Humanity
Mile Marker 30.3 Oceanside
Big Pine Key, FL 33043
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 16
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
St. Lucie County
City Center
9410 S U.S. 1
Port St. Lucie, FL 34959
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 16
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Wednesday, Jan. 18
Broward County
Old City Hall Annex
300 NW 1st Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 19
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Broward County
University Park Plaza
3424 S University Drive
Davie, FL 33328
Collier County
Naples Depot
1051 5th Ave. S
Naples, FL 34102
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 19
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Hendry County
Harlem Community Center
2000 7th Street
Clewiston, FL 33440
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 19
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Lee County
Bonita Springs Community Center
27381 Old U.S. 41 Road
Bonita Springs, FL 34135
Miami-Dade County
Caleb Center
5400 NW 22nd Ave.
Miami, FL 33142
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 19
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Miami-Dade County
Landmark Properties
20000 NW 47th Ave.
Opa-Locka, FL 33055
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 19
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Monroe County
Key West City Hall
604 Simonton St.
Key West, FL 33040
Monroe County
Marathon Airport
9400 Overseas Highway
Marathon, FL 33050
Palm Beach County
Wellington Community Center
12165 Forest Hill Blvd.
Wellington, FL 33414
Palm Beach County
Bryant Park
30 S Golfview Road
Lake Worth, FL 33460
Palm Beach County
City Hall
110 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. W
Belle Glade, FL 33430
Palm Beach County
Gaines Park
1501 N Australian Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
***SBA workshop to open Jan. 19
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Palm Beach County
Kings Point Main Clubhouse
7000 W Atlantic Ave.
Delray Beach, FL 33446
Palm Beach County
Jupiter Civic Center
106 Military Trail
Jupiter, FL 33458
Palm Beach County
Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail
Boca Raton, FL 33486
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. For more information visit www.fema.gov.
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.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 10-Jan-2006 14:27:22