Last Chance To Visit Four Disaster Recovery Centers

NEW YORK – Hurricane Sandy survivors have until Tuesday evening, Dec. 4, to visit four Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in Nassau and Suffolk counties.  

Cumulatively, the centers have provided one-on-one information and assistance to more than 4,370 storm survivors since they opened in early November.  Their locations and hours of operation are:

Nassau County

Nassau Community College
Student Union Building
1 Education Drive
Garden City, NY 11530
Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Tuesday, Dec. 4

New Cassel Community Center Garden
141 Garden St.
Westbury, NY 11590
Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Tuesday, Dec. 4

Suffolk County

H. Lee Dennison Building
100 Veterans Memorial Highway
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Tuesday, Dec. 4

Riverhead County Center
300 Center Drive
Riverhead, NY 11901
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Tuesday, Dec. 4

In addition to those centers, Hurricane Sandy survivors can visit any of about 30 other DRCs throughout New York.

The State of New York and Federal Emergency Management Agency closely monitor visitor traffic at all New York Disaster Recovery Centers. When traffic slows at a certain time, a center may change its hours or come under consideration for possible closure.  

Recovery centers are one-stop shops for eligible storm survivors to get face-to-face help as quickly as possible. More may become available as sites are identified and approved. Conditions at individual locations may vary and affect opening times.

To find the center nearest you, the following options are available: Text DRC and a Zip Code to 43362 (4FEMA), and a text message will be sent back with the address. Also, check out the Disaster Recovery Center locator at www.FEMA.gov/disaster-recovery-centers.

Other help is available from roughly 1,000 FEMA community relations personnel who are blanketing damaged neighborhoods door to door, delivering information vital to recovery and encouraging residents to register for assistance when needed. These personnel can help refer survivors to the proper resources for any unmet disaster needs, but they do not assess or document damage. FEMA inspectors will contact survivors directly after they have registered.

Help also can be obtained by calling FEMA’s toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice, and assistance is offered in most languages. Individuals may register for help online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. 
If you have a speech disability or hearing impairment and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585 directly; if you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

Federal disaster assistance for individuals and families can include money for rental assistance, essential home repairs, personal property loss and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4085, http://twitter.com/FEMASandy, www.facebook.com/FEMASandy and www.fema.gov/blog.