Get help with disaster info; Visit Virginia Beach, Chesapeake DRCs

 RICHMOND, Va.—Survivors who suffered damages in Hurricane Matthew are urged to visit one of the two newly opened Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) to register, get recovery assistance, and get their questions answered.

Both centers, one in Virginia Beach and one in Chesapeake, opened at noon today, Monday, November 7, 2016. Additional DRCs in Newport News and Norfolk will be opening soon. Survivors may visit any DRC.

The Virginia Beach DRC is located in the Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library, near the Cafe. The Chesapeake location is co-located with the City’s local DRC in the Chesapeake Department of Human Services building.

Hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Sunday until further notice. 

The addresses are:

Virginia Beach:

Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library

4100 Virginia Beach Blvd

Virginia Beach, VA 23452

Enter main door, turn right, near Cafe

Chesapeake:

Chesapeake Department of Human Services

City of Chesapeake

100 Outlaw St.

Chesapeake, VA 23320

Enter main door, turn right

DRCs are operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM).

You don’t need to visit a DRC to register for Federal assistance, survivors can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY users can call 800-462-7585. The telephone lines are staffed daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT until further notice. Help is available in almost any language.

Staff at the recovery centers can check individuals’ cases, answer questions about claims, or review information needed to process their claims.  Specialists from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and VDEM staff will be at each location.

To find out more about how a DRC operates, go to: https://www.fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers

Additional information about this disaster is available at www.fema.gov and www.vaemergency.gov.

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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-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.