ALBANY, N.Y. – Federal and state emergency management officials announced today that three more Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRCs) will open for three days, beginning on Wednesday, to assist individuals, households and businesses affected by Hurricane Irene.
Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers in Greene, Orange and Washington counties will be open from Wednesday, September 28, through Friday, September 30, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. After Friday the mobile DRCs will be deployed to other locations, but will return to each county at a date yet to be determined.
The new MDRC locations are:
Greene County
Catskill Community Life Church, 20 West Main Street, Catskill, NY 12414
Orange County
Government Complex-Town Hall, 555 Union Avenue, New Windsor, NY 12553
Washington County
Farmers Market, 201 Main Street, Salem, NY 12865
The centers are staffed with disaster-recovery specialists who can provide information and answer questions about hurricane-related assistance, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state officials. Also on hand will be representatives from several New York State agencies and from the Small Business Administration.
“Before visiting a recovery center, I strongly recommend people seeking assistance, to register with FEMA,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Philip E. Parr. “Having spoken with or contacted state or local officials does not count. You must register with FEMA in order to apply for help.”
By phone, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. People with hearing disabilities can use the TTY number, 800-462-7585. Applicants can also register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with any web-enabled mobile device or smartphone at m.fema.gov. Follow the link to “apply online for federal assistance.”
Information needed when registering with FEMA includes the address of the damaged property, names of those living in the household, a general description of the damage, the Social Security number of any family member living in the home, the extent of insurance coverage and certain other information needed to expedite the process.
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.