Survivors have until Wednesday to visit 2 disaster recovery centers in NY

NEW YORK – Hurricane Sandy survivors in New York have until 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, to visit the disaster recovery centers at the Recreation Center and Ice Arena, 700 Magnolia Blvd., Long Beach, NY, 11561, and at the Freeport Recreation Center, 130 East Merrick Rd., Freeport, NY, 11520.

The State of New York and the Federal Emergency Management Agency closely monitor visitor traffic at all New York recovery centers. Traffic at the two centers has slowed, indicating the information needs of survivors in those areas have mostly been met. So far, there have been nearly 18,000 visits to the two centers.

Survivors who need help may still visit any of the other centers that remain open throughout New York, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

To find the nearest center, 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, the Disaster Recovery Center locator is available online at www.FEMA.gov/disaster-recovery-centers.

Individuals also can find a recovery center – and register for FEMA help – online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet by going to m.fema.gov or by downloading the FEMA app.

Survivors who have questions or want to register with FEMA can also call the helpline, 800-621-3362 (Voice, 7-1-1/Relay) or (TTY) 800-462-7585. The toll-free telephone numbers operate 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. EST, seven days a week until further notice.

Hurricane Sandy survivors in New York have until Feb. 27, 2013, to register for federal disaster assistance, which can include money for rent, essential home repairs, personal property losses and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

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