FEMA Blog

Posted by: Public Affairs

Working with our partners in North Carolina, we opened the first Disaster Recovery Centers after the severe storms struck the state and we plan to open more soon in other counties.

What is a Disaster Recovery Center you ask?  Good question.

We often set up Disaster Recovery Centers to help disaster survivors navigate the federal assistance process.  But an important thing to know is that survivors don’t need to come to the DRC to register, but anyone looking for face to face assistance is welcome to stop by.

If a disaster survivor’s county has been declared, they can also apply for assistance by:

• Calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired
• Visiting http://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or m.fema.gov from a mobile device

To give you an idea of what to expect at a Disaster Recovery Center, we wanted to pull this video out of the archives.  It’s from 2009 after an earthquake and tsunami struck American Samoa.  In the video, Casey Deshong (FEMA External Affairs) gives a tour of a DRC in American Samoa and talks about the different types of assistance provided:



Here are some other things you should know:

Individual assistance can be provided to eligible individuals and households who are uninsured, or under-insured, and suffered losses due to disaster damage.

It’s important to remember that by law, the amount of individual assistance a person or household can receive is capped (just over $30,000 for this year), and may not cover losses to the extent that homeowner’s policy would. Flood insurance is another way you can protect against the damaging financial effects of a disaster, which is why we are often encouraging families to talk to their insurance agent about protecting your home or business.

This assistance is also intended to support only necessary and serious needs that resulted from the disaster. The best way to make sure you and your family are protected against the devastating impacts of flooding is to have flood insurance.

For additional updates and recovery information, please continue to visit the NC disaster page.