Eight Disaster Recovery Centers To Close Friday: Three Remain Open
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Release Number: 1858-041
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ATLANTA, Ga. -- Eight of the 11 remaining Disaster Recovery Centers operated by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be closing this Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. At the peak of the recovery effort 16 DRCs were open in counties across the state. Five closed Oct 10.
Officials urge residents to go to the centers to meet one-on-one with specialists to get information or assistance with their recovery from the mid-September flooding.
"We are closing these recovery centers because traffic in them has slowed considerably," said GEMA Director and State Coordinating Officer Charley English. "We will have three recovery centers still open, and help is available through other sources."
The following Disaster Recovery Centers will close at 7 p.m Friday, Oct. 16:
- Cherokee County. Cherokee County Parks and Recreation Department Gym, 200 Building, 7545 Main St. Woodstock, GA 30188
- Douglas County. Lithia Springs First United Methodist Church, 3711 Temple St., Lithia Springs, GA 30122
- Paulding County. Paulding County Community Center, 54 Industrial Way, Dallas, GA 30132
- Walker County. Walker County Agricultural Center, 10054 North Highway 27, Rock Spring, GA 30739
- DeKalb County. Browns Mill Recreation Center, 5101 Browns Mill Road, Lithonia, GA 30038
- Fulton County. Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor St. Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Fulton County. City of Sandy Springs City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road, Bldg. 500, Sandy Springs, GA 30350
- Fulton County. Welcome All Park, 4255 Will Lee Road, Atlanta, GA, 30349.
"It is important for people to understand they can still get help at one of the other Disaster Recovery Centers or through the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362," said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Gracia Szczech.
Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to be open in the following locations from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, until further notice:
- Cobb County. The Threadmill, Suite 151, 5000 Austell/Powder Springs Road, Austell, GA 30106
- Douglas County. Heritage Baptist Church, 8800 Rose Ave., Douglasville, GA 30134
- Gwinnett County. Mountain Park Depot, 5050 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lilburn, GA 30047
Szczech said those affected by the storm should first register for assistance, either on the Web at www. DisasterAssistance.gov; or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are staffed seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Help is available in all languages.
After registration, people can then come to a Disaster Recovery Center to check on the status of their applications, review information needed to process their claim, get help filling out loan applications from the Small Business Administration (SBA), get lists of places to rent, learn ways to rebuild safely, and meet with specialists from other disaster assistance agencies.
SBA representatives will be at Disaster Recovery Centers to answer any questions about the SBA's low-interest disaster loan program for homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes. These loans are to repair or replace real estate and/or personal property damaged by the storms and flooding.
Representatives will help complete and accept SBA disaster loan applications. Anyone not able to go to a Disaster Recovery Center should call the SBA Customer Service Center between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST Monday through Saturday, toll free, at 800-659-2955 for information and assistance, or visit the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Applicants may apply for disaster loans from SBA's secure Web site at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
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.
Last Modified: Thursday, 15-Oct-2009 10:42:25