TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When the Bay County Community Recovery Center opened its doors two weeks ago in the Bay County Public Library, it became the first of its kind in the continental United States, providing locally based support for ongoing disaster survivor needs.
Like the CRCs introduced in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria to assist citizens of Puerto Rico, the Bay County CRC taps the ability of the Bay County community to tailor recovery programs, resources and services to its population’s needs.
At the center, representatives from local and volunteer agencies are available to provide assistance with housing repairs, commodities and clothing, rental resources, emotional and spiritual counseling, legal services and FEMA case review.
Agencies currently onsite at the CRC include: Rebuild Bay County Long Term Recovery Organization, Doorways of NW Florida, Catholic Charities, Project Hope, Habitat for Humanity, North Florida Legal, Goodwill and United Methodist Committee on Relief.
FEMA is available to provide case reviews and answer questions about survivor assistance and SBA is providing information and guidance regarding low-interest SBA loans.
The Bay County Public Library, 898 West 11th St. in Panama City, is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Bay County officials say the CRC will continue operating for as long as survivors use it.
Bay County has posted a video providing an overview of the CRC’s services.
Persons who have registered with FEMA and have questions regarding their cases also may visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 (TTY) anytime from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.
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FEMA’s mission: Helping people before, during, and after disasters.
For a list of resources available to individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Michael, visit www.floridadisaster.org/info.
For more Hurricane Michael recovery information, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4399.
Follow FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Twitter at @FEMARegion4 and @FLSERT. You may also visit FEMA and the Division’s Facebook pages at Facebook.com/FEMA and Facebook.com/FloridaSERT.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362) 711/VRS - Video Relay Service). Multilingual operators are available. (Press 2 for Spanish). TTY call 800-462-7585.