RALEIGH, N.C. -- Disaster recovery centers opened Friday in Lee, Johnston and Wake counties to help those whose homes or businesses were affected by recent storms and tornadoes. Centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week at the following addresses:

Lee County                                                   
McSwain Agricultural Center             
2420 Tramway Road                                  
Sanford, NC 27332                          

Johnston County
The Herald Building      
125 S. 4th St.    
Smithfield, NC 27577        

Wake County    
Chavis Heights Community Center
505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Raleigh, NC 27601 

More centers will open soon in other counties designated for assistance.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, North Carolina Division of Emergency Management and other agencies are available to explain assistance programs and help survivors apply for disaster aid. Recovery specialists also help disaster survivors get in touch with other programs that may be able to help.

Before going to a center, people with storm losses should register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362).  Those with speech or hearing impairment may call (TTY) 800-462-7585. Help is available in all languages.
Persons affected by the storms can also apply for federal assistance directly through a web-enabled mobile device or smartphone. Visit m.fema.gov and follow the link to “apply online for federal assistance.”

Federal Disaster Assistance can include grants for rental assistance and home repairs, low-cost loans from the Small Business Administration to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help recover from the effects of the disaster.

Disaster Recovery Centers opened in the following counties:

Bertie County
Colerain Community Building
106 W. Academy St.
Colerain, NC 27924

Cumberland County
Department of Social Services
1st Floor Conference Room D
1225 Ramsey St
Fayetteville, NC 28301

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.