Last Chance to Visit Disaster Recovery Center in Highlands County 

Release Date: July 18, 2012
Release Number: 4068-016

» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Debby

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Debby survivors have until Saturday to visit the disaster recovery center in Highlands County.

Representatives from the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U. S. Small Business Administration and other agencies are at the center to assist survivors by explaining disaster assistance programs and helping them apply for aid.

The state and FEMA closely monitor visitor traffic at all Florida disaster recovery centers. Traffic to the Highlands County center has decreased, indicating the information needs of survivors in the area has mostly been met.

People who need face-to-face help in Highlands County should visit the center by Saturday, July 21, before 6 p.m. at the following location:

Highlands Agricultural Center

4509 George Blvd.

Sebring, FL 33875

Help is always available by calling FEMA’s toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and assistance is available in most languages. Survivors who are deaf or hard of hearing and use a TTY can call 800-462-7585.

If possible, survivors should register with FEMA before going to a center. Registration is available by calling the helpline; going online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov; or by using the FEMA app or going to m.fema.gov with a smartphone or tablet.

For more information on Florida’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or www.floridadisaster.org. On Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/FloridaSERT. To receive Twitter updates: www.twitter.com/FLSERT or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.

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). If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

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.

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 18-Jul-2012 15:41:10