FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Center to close soon

Date: 6/28/2011

June 27, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

WILBRAHAM — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Center (DRC) in town will be open for one more week to assist those who suffered losses due to the June 1 tornado.

The DRC, which is located in the Blake Middle School building on the campus of Wilbraham & Monson Academy will scale back its hours this week before closing its doors for good on July 1.

“Those who live in either of the two counties [Hampden and Worcester] that have been affected can still go to any of the other DRCs that will remain open,” DRC manager Robert Haley told Reminder Publications. “You don’t have to be from a specific community to visit a DRC there.”

The DRC will be open June 27 through 30 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 1. After July 1, five of the nine original DRC centers in the two counties will stay open. DRCs in Springfield, West Springfield, Brimfield, Southbridge and Monson will remain operational. “We suggest that people from Wilbraham seek services from the Springfield or Monson locations,” Haley said. “Also, those who are registered can use our help line and, with that and a fax machine, can resolve any issue after we’re gone.”

The DRC in Wilbraham has been operational since shortly after President Barack Obama declared a major disaster area for Worcester and Hampden counties on June 15, making federal aid money available to victims of the tornado. Specifically, the DRC has been assisting those who have applied for help through the Individuals and Household Program.

Haley said the Wilbraham location has been servicing 15 to 20 households a day since it opened. Assistance offered through FEMA can include grants for temporary housing or hotel stays, monetary assistance in rebuilding property or low-interest loans to help cover the replacement of uninsured or underinsured property.

Before visiting the DRC, affected residents must go through a registration process, either online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by phone at 1-800-621-FEMA. If phone and Internet are not available, affected persons can come to the center and a FEMA representative will set them up on a phone bank at which the registration process can be completed.

“Anybody who’s been affected by the June 1 tornado is encouraged to register with FEMA,” Haley said. “Once they register, they can come down to the center and a specialist will explain what we do and what we can cover. This includes people who have insurance because there’s the possibility that you are underinsured and there are areas where we can also still assist.”

In order to register, applicants should have their Social Security number, a description of what was lost, their insurance information, directions to the damaged property and a telephone number where they can be reached.

Assistance through FEMA is available only for those who have experienced residential damage, Haley said, and is meant to serve as a supplementary service.

“We cannot replace all of your personal property,” he said. “We are not an insurance company and we don’t replace things at their original value.”

For more information on what FEMA offers through the Individuals and Households Program, visit www.FEMA.gov.