Short-Term Disaster Recovery Centers To Open This Week
Release Date: September 29, 2008
Release Number: 1785-056
» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Fay
ORLANDO, Fla. -- To meet the needs of Tropical Storm Fay survivors, short-term Disaster Recovery Centers will be opening this week in Gainesville and Quincy. The centers will be open in Alachua and Gadsden counties from Wednesday to Saturday.
The recovery centers will initially open at noon and then operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:
Oct. 1-4 (Wednesday through Saturday)
(Gadsden County)
Gadsden County Sheriff's Office
339 E. Jefferson Highway (U.S. 90)
Quincy 32351
(Alachua County)
Fire Rescue Central Warehouse
5901 NW 34th St. extension
Gainesville 3265
The DRCs will be staffed with Federal Emergency Management Agency and State Emergency Response Team disaster recovery specialists. Representatives at the centers include the U.S. Small Business Administration, other federal and state agencies as well as local voluntary groups. They are ready to help survivors through the process of applying for disaster assistance.
Applicants should register by calling FEMA, toll free, at 800-621-FEMA (3362). The hard of hearing, deaf and speech impaired may call the TTY number at 800-462-7585 and apply. Multilingual operators are available. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate 7 a.m. to midnight daily until further notice. Application for disaster assistance can also be made by registering online at www.fema.gov.
At a recovery center, people who have already registered can have FEMA disaster recovery specialists check on their 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.
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations. These loans are to repair or replace homes, businesses and personal property damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Fay.
SBA representatives will be on hand at the recovery centers to answer questions about SBA's disaster loan program, help them complete their SBA disaster loan application and accept the completed disaster loan applications. Anyone not able to go to a recovery center should call the SBA Customer Service Center from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday, and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 800-659-2955 for information and assistance or visit the SBA website at www.sba.gov.
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: Monday, 29-Sep-2008 19:17:50