Third DRC Opens in Nicholas County

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Nicholas County now has three Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) with the July 15 opening of the latest center.

The newest center is located at the Birch River Elementary School, 379 Birch River Rd., Birch River, W.Va. 26610.

Survivors of the June 22-29 floods, severe storms, landslides and mudslides are finding a wealth of useful information at a DRC to assist their recovery from the disaster. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), various state agencies, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) staff the centers, giving you a chance to discover what programs are available to help you, and to get your questions answered. 

Weather permitting, all recovery centers currently are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Beginning July 17, centers will be open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from   8 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sundays. To locate the closest center, you can visit http://go.usa.gov/x3NnJ or download the FEMA App to your mobile device. Before visiting a center, you can register with FEMA by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-3362. Operators are multilingual and answer calls from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Video Relay Service (VRS) or 711 users may call 800-462-7585.

The other centers are:

Registering with FEMA is the first step towards qualifying for disaster assistance which may include grants to help homeowners and renters pay for temporary housing, essential home repairs, personal property replacements and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

SBA offers low-interest disaster loans for businesses of all sizes, homeowners, renters and private non-profit organizations. SBA disaster loans may cover repairs, rebuilding, as well as the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property.

For more information about SBA loans, call SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster. TTY users can call 800-877-8339.  Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Additional information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery can be found by visiting fema.gov/disaster/4273, twitter.com/FEMA, fema.gov/blog and www.twitter.com/femaregion3.