GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico — Arecibo residents who registered for disaster assistance for the Sept. 13 floods or wish to do so at a Disaster Recovery Center, known as a DRC, may request reasonable accommodation, if needed. FEMA Disability integration specialists are available by appointment to provide technical assistance and help ensure recovery assistance is accessible and inclusive.
Accommodations include information in Braille, large print or audio, qualified sign language interpreters, information written in other languages and information available in accessible electronic formats on FEMA’s website. For those with limited English proficiency, the Agency provides multilingual operators, literature in multiple languages and interpreters.
The Arecibo Disaster Recovery Center is located at Coliseo Manuel “Petaca” Iguina Reyes, Carretera PR-129, Avenida Industrial, Arecibo. Its hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. An appointment to visit the DRC can be made by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Survivors can request an interpreter when scheduling an appointment. The drive-thru is available during regular hours of operation without an appointment.
Following COVID-19 guidelines, the DRC will operate in a way that protects the safety of survivors and FEMA employees. Even when using the drive-thru, people must wear a face covering and maintain social distancing protocols. Federal staff will also wear face coverings, face shields and gloves.
Also, residents can register for assistance or update their application in the following ways:
- Calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (FEMA) or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Press 2 for a Spanish-speaking operator. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Survivors should inform if they will need reasonable accommodation during the call.
- Visiting www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
- Downloading FEMA’s mobile app. Select Disaster Resources and click on Apply for Assistance Online. If you have an Apple device: Text APPLE to 43362 (4FEMA). For those with an Android device: Text ANDROID to 43362 (4FEMA). For more information go to: www.fema.gov/mobile-app.
For more information on the recovery from the floods, visit fema.gov/disaster/4571. Follow us at Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico.