Disaster Recovery Centers In Three Counties To Close This Week

TRENTON, N.J. — Disaster recovery centers in three New Jersey counties will close at the end of this week.

State and federal officials have been paying close attention to how many applicants are visiting centers throughout the state.

Over the past weeks, the number of individuals seeking help at disaster recovery centers in Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May counties has dropped, indicating the information needs of survivors in the area have mostly been met. 

In Ocean County, the Brick Township Center, located in the Brick Township Civic Center, 270 Chambers Bridge Rd., will close at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 1. Since the Brick Township center opened Nov. 5, 2012, there have been more than 6,012 visits from Hurricane Sandy survivors.

The Little Egg Harbor Center, located in the Little Egg Harbor Senior Center, 641 Radio Rd., will close at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28. Since the Little Egg Harbor center opened Nov. 23, 2012, there have been more than 3,965 visits from Hurricane Sandy survivors.

The Toms River Center, located in the BellCrest Plaza, Storefront 4C, 953 Fischer Blvd., will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. Since the Toms River center opened Nov. 11, 2012, there have been more than 9,558 visits from Hurricane Sandy survivors.

In Monmouth County, the Leonardo Disaster Recovery Center, located in the Henry Hudson Trail Activity Center, 945 Highway 36, will close on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Since the Leonardo center opened Nov. 6, 2012, there have been more than 4,573 visits from Hurricane Sandy survivors.

The Union Beach Center, located in the Union Beach Municipal Building, 650 Poole Ave., will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. Since the Union Beach center opened Nov. 5, 2012, there have been more than 5,811 visits from Hurricane Sandy survivors.

In Cape May County, the Ocean City Center in the Ocean City Community Center, 1735 Simpson Ave., will close on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Since the Ocean City center opened Nov. 17, 2012, there have been more than 2,950 visits from Hurricane Sandy survivors.

Three remaining disaster recovery centers will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Saturday, March 9. Their addresses are listed below:

Hudson County Government Building                                                                                                                                                                            830 Bergen Ave.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Jersey City, N.J. 07306                                                         

Ocean County Southern Resource Center                                                                                                                                                                   179A South Main St.                                                                                                                                                                                                      Manahawkin, N.J. 08050         

Hamilton Mall                                                                                                                                                                                                                 4403 Blackhorse Pike                                                                                                                                                                                                    Mays Landing, N.J. 08330

Help and information are always available online or by phone. Survivors can check on the status of their disaster assistance applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, by using a smartphone or tablet at m.FEMA.gov, or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 800-462-7585 or 711/VRS. They also can call those numbers to inquire about rental recertification.                                 

They can ask questions about their Small Business Administration disaster home or business loan applications by calling 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Additional resources are available online at FEMA.gov/SandyNJ and SBA.gov/Sandy. Survivors who have questions about flood insurance claims and the appeals process can call toll-free 888-379-9531.

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.

Follow FEMA online at http://www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

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.