FEMA
Press Release
November 4, 2016 9:00 a.m.
A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) has opened in Fernandina Beach to help residents affected by Hurricane Matthew.
DRCs serve as one-stop shops for storm survivors seeking one-on-one help. Representatives from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and various state agencies will be at the center to answer questions. Survivors can visit any open DRC for assistance, even if they live in another county.
The center is located at: Peck Center, 516 South 10th,= Street Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 Open Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed Sundays
FDEM and FEMA officials continue to work closely with local officials in hard-hit areas to identify suitable sites for additional centers.
Downloading the FEMA App (available in English and Spanish) to their mobile device will allow survivors to:
o Apply for disaster assistance;
o Get directions to the nearest Disaster Recovery Center by visiting the DRC locator;
o Get weather alerts;
o Subscribe to disaster safety tips.
Many services available at disaster recovery centers are also available by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS-Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462-7585). Toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available, (for Spanish, press 2).
Survivors with questions regarding the application or the appeals process, or who need to register for assistance, may visit online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Survivors requiring a reasonable accommodation (ASL interpreting, Braille Large Print, etc.) while visiting a disaster recovery center may ask DRC staff or call the appropriate helpline number above to receive support.
FEMA encourages survivors to register as soon as possible. Those who may have registered with their county emergency management office, the American Red Cross or other community organizations are reminded to also register with FEMA. If you pre-registered with FEMA before the presidential disaster declaration for Hurricane Matthew, there is no need to register again. However, you should keep FEMA informed about any change in your address, telephone number or other contact information.
Disaster assistance may include grants to help homeowners and renters pay for temporary housing, essential home repairs, personal property replacement, and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.
SBA offers low-interest disaster loans for businesses of all sizes, homeowners, renters, and certain private non-profit organizations. SBA disaster loans may cover repairs, rebuilding, as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged real estate and personal property.
For more information about SBA loans, call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (TTY: 800-877-8339), email [email protected], or visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
For more information on Florida’s disaster recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4283, twitter.com/femaregion4, facebook.com/FEMA, and fema.gov/blog, floridadisaster.org or #FLRecovers. For imagery, video, graphics and releases, see www.fema.gov/Hurricane-Matthew.
About FEMA
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.
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 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS – Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462- 7585). Multilingual operators are available (for Spanish, press 2).
The U.S. Small Business Administration is the federal government’s primary source of money to help business of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters rebuild and recover after a disaster. SBA low interest disaster loans repair and replace property losses not fully compensated by insurance and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies.