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Texans Have Three Ways to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

AUSTIN, Texas – Texans who sustained property damage as a result of the ongoing severe storms and flooding are urged to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as they may be eligible for federal and state disaster assistance.

The presidential disaster declaration of May 29 makes disaster aid available to eligible families, individuals and business owners in Hays, Harris and Van Zandt counties.

“FEMA wants to help Texans begin their recovery as soon as possible, but we need to hear from them in order to do so,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) Kevin Hannes. “I urge all survivors to contact us to begin the recovery process.”

People who had storm damage in Harris, Hays, and Van Zandt counties can register for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or web-enabled device at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Flood survivors statewide can call and report their damage to give the state and FEMA a better idea of the assistance that is needed in undesignated counties.

Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Long-term, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) also may be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if the person has registered with another disaster-relief organization such as the American Red Cross, or local community or church organization. FEMA registrants must use the name that appears on their Social Security card. Applicants will be asked to provide:

Social Security number
Address of the damaged home or apartment
Description of the damage
Information about insurance coverage
A current contact telephone number
An address where they can get mail
Proof of residency, such as a utility bill, rent receipts or mortgage payment record
Bank account and routing numbers if they want direct deposit of any financial assistance.

Originally from:

Texans Have Three Ways to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

FEMA Reminds Residents to be Ready for the 2015 Hurricane Season

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges residents across the nation to prepare for the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane season, which begins today and runs through November 30.

Hurricanes and tropical systems can cause serious damage on both coastal and inland areas. Their hazards can come in many forms including: storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, high winds, and tornadoes. To prepare for these powerful storms, FEMA is encouraging families, businesses, and individuals to be aware of their risks; know your sources of reliable information; prepare your home and workplace; and be familiar with evacuation routes.

“One hurricane hitting where you live is enough to significantly disrupt your life and make for a very bad hurricane season,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “Every person has a role to play in being prepared – you should know if you live or work in an evacuation zone and take time now to learn that route so you’re prepared to protect yourself and your family from disaster.”

This year, FEMA is placing an emphasis on preparing communities to understand the importance of evacuations, which are more common than many people realize. When community evacuations become necessary, local officials provide information to the public through the media. In some circumstances, other warning methods, such as, text alerts, emails, or telephone calls are used. Information on evacuation routes and places to stay is available at www.ready.gov/evacuating-yourself-and-your-family.

Additionally, knowing and practicing what to do in an emergency, in advance of the event, can make a difference in the ability to take immediate and informed action, and enable you to recover more quickly. To help communities prepare and enhance preparedness efforts nationwide, FEMA is offering two new products.

FEMA launched a new feature to its App, available for free in the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices. The new feature enables users to receive weather alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations anywhere in the United States, including U.S. territories, even if the mobile device is not located in the weather alert area. The app also provides information on what to do before, during, and after a disaster in both English and Spanish.
The Ready campaign and America’s PrepareAthon! developed a social media toolkit that you can download and share with others at www.ready.gov/ready2015. The kit contains information on actions communities can take to practice getting ready for disasters.

While much attention is often given to the Atlantic Hurricane Season, there are tropical systems that can affect other U.S. interests as well. The Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season runs from May 15 through November 30. The Central Pacific Hurricane Season runs from May 15 to November 30. To learn more about each hurricane season and the geographical areas they may affect, visit www.noaa.gov.

Additional tips and resources:

Learn how to prepare for hurricane season at www.ready.gov/hurricanes
Talk with your family today about how you will communicate with each other during a significant weather event when you may not be together or during an evacuation order. Download the family communications at www.ready.gov/family-communications.
For information on how to create an emergency supply kit, visit www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
Consider how you will care for pets during an evacuation by visiting www.ready.gov/caring-animals
Use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) to identify your important documents, medical records, and household contracts. When completing the kit, be sure to include pictures or a video of your home and your belongings and keep all of your documents in a safe space. The EFFAK is a joint publication from Operation Hope and FEMA. Download a copy at www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness.
If you own or manage a business, visit www.ready.gov/business for specific resources on response and continuity planning.
The National Weather Service proactively sends free Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEAs, to most cell phones for hurricanes, tornadoes, flash flooding and other weather-related warnings. State and local public safety officials may also send WEAs for severe or extreme emergency conditions. If you receive a Wireless Emergency Alert on your cell phone, follow the instructions, take protective action and seek additional information from local media. To determine if your wireless device can receive WEA alerts contact your wireless carrier for more information or visit www.ctia.org/WEA.

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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.

Follow FEMA online at 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.

Continued here:

FEMA Reminds Residents to be Ready for the 2015 Hurricane Season

FEMA Announces Funding Opportunity for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is announcing $180 million in funding available through two Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs: Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM). These two grant programs assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in strengthening our nation’s ability to reduce the potential cost of natural disasters to communities and their citizens.

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs provide states, tribes, territories, and local governments funding for eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damages.

The Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program provides funds on an annual basis so that measures can be taken to reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to buildings insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The FY 2015 Flood Mitigation Assistance grants will continue to focus on reducing or eliminating claims under the NFIP with a focus on mitigation planning and the mitigation of severe repetitive loss properties.

The Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant program provides funds on an annual basis for hazard mitigation planning and the implementation of mitigation projects prior to a disaster. The goal of the Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant program is to reduce overall risk to the population and structures, while at the same time, also reducing reliance on Federal funding from actual disaster declarations. The FY 2015 Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants will continue to focus on implementing a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program and provide the grant funding set aside as required in the Stafford Act to states and tribes to support overall mitigation planning and projects.

Both Hazard Mitigation Assistance FY 2015 Funding Opportunity Announcements can be found at www.grants.gov. Eligible applicants must apply for funding through the Mitigation eGrants system on the FEMA Grants Portal accessible at https://portal.fema.gov. FEMA opened the application period on May 29, 2015. All applications must be submitted no later than 3:00 PM EDT on August 28, 2015.

Further information on these grant programs is available at http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.

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Follow FEMA online at 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.

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FEMA Announces Funding Opportunity for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants

FEMA Announces Launch of Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims Review Process

FEMA Officials Encourage Those With Concerns about Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims to Call 866-337-4262

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) announced the start of Hurricane Sandy flood insurance claims review. The review is part of a broad process to reform NFIP claims and appeals procedures.

FEMA opened the Hurricane Sandy claims review process and began mailing letters to approximately 142,000 NFIP policyholders, offering them an opportunity to have their claims from Hurricane Sandy reviewed. In the review, policyholders who have not pursued litigation or already received the maximum amount under their policy will have an opportunity to have their files reviewed. FEMA will contact policyholders and explain how to request this review.

“Flood insurance issues arising from Hurricane Sandy are of great concern to FEMA,” said Deputy Associate Administrator for Federal Insurance Brad Kieserman. “We are committed to administering a program that is survivor-centric and helps policyholders recover from flooding in a fair, transparent, and expeditious way. I encourage anyone who suspects they may have been treated unfairly to call 866-337-4262.”

Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the United States. Between 1980 and 2013, the United States suffered more than $260 billion in flood-related damages. Flood insurance is a vital service that protects communities from the most common and costly disaster we face, and those who purchase insurance must be able to count on it being there when it is needed to help rebuild their lives.

Policyholders who incurred losses from Hurricane Sandy from Oct. 27, 2012, through Nov. 6, 2012, and want their claim reviewed may contact FEMA by:

Calling toll-free at 866-337-4262.
Email by downloading an application online and submitting it to FEMA-sandyclaimsreview@fema.dhs.gov.
Fax by downloading an application online and submitting it to 202-646-7970.
For individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability using 711 or VRS, please call 1-866-337-4262. For individuals using a TTY, please call 800-462-7585.

As FEMA reviews Hurricane Sandy claim files, the agency will also begin overhauling the claims and appeal process and improving the customer experience. FEMA’s goals are excellent customer experience, responsiveness, transparency, low risk of waste, fraud and abuse, and continuous improvement. While settling these legal matters, FEMA is instituting additional oversight of Write Your Own insurance companies to hold them accountable.

FEMA will continue to work closely with Congress and federal, state, local, tribal, and community officials to ensure policyholders are paid every dollar to which they are entitled and to improve the flood insurance program going forward.

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Follow FEMA online at 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.

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FEMA Announces Launch of Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims Review Process

Federal Aid To Vermont For Winter Storm Repairs Tops $1 Million

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – State and federal officials say that more than $1 million in federal assistance has been delivered to the state to help cover the costs of the December 9-12, 2014 winter storm that wreaked havoc on Vermont’s infrastructure, downing trees and power lines.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the $1 million in FEMA aid to the state thus far for infrastructure repair includes roughly $670,000 for emergency protective measures to safeguard lives and property while responding to the disaster, and another $384,000 in permanent repair work. Another $2 million in FEMA aid is anticipated, most of it for Vermont Electric Cooperative.

“The December storm was a four-day event that caused an estimated $4+ million in damage and response costs,” said State Coordinating Officer Robert Schell with Vermont’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. “The federal dollars coming to Vermont are assisting numerous communities and non-profit utilities.”

Governor Peter Shumlin requested preliminary damage assessments in the ten most heavily damaged Vermont counties immediately after the storm and sent the assessments to FEMA with a request for a federal disaster declaration.

President Barack Obama approved the request in early February, and FEMA and state disaster teams began meeting with jurisdictions to explain how federal dollars flow to the state and on to eligible municipalities and non-profit entities.

“We will continue to support our state and local partners to ensure that applicants receive all of the assistance for which they are eligible,” said Federal Coordinating Officer James N. Russo, the head of FEMA’s recovery operations in Vermont.

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides state and local governments and eligible private non-profit organizations in designated counties federal funds to pay 75 percent of the approved cost of debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster, and for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities such as roads, buildings and utilities.

Both FEMA and the state, which distributes the FEMA funds to municipalities and qualified non-profits, must review Public Assistance projects to ensure compliance with regulations.

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Federal Aid To Vermont For Winter Storm Repairs Tops $1 Million

Disaster Recovery Centers To Close For Memorial Day

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Disaster recovery centers, which are operated by the commonwealth of Kentucky and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will not be open on Memorial Day.

April storm survivors can continue to call FEMA’s toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585, Video Relay Service 800-621-3362) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) or go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

The two Jefferson County centers will close at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 23, and reopen Tuesday, May 26. The centers will then continue to operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT) until further notice. The centers are located at 205 W. Wellington Ave. (Beechmont Community Center) and 8501 Preston Highway in Louisville.

At the centers, specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration can answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors. Specialists can help with registration, check an individual’s case, answer questions about an application or review information needed to process an application.

Survivors who suffered losses in Bath, Bourbon, Carter, Elliott, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Madison, Rowan and Scott counties should register with FEMA before visiting a center. Those who sustained losses from the severe storms, tornadoes, flooding, landslides and mudslides April 2 through April 17, 2015, can register using the following methods:

· Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

By calling 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585, Video Relay Service 800-621-3362).
By smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and essential home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

To learn more about what preventive measures to take before, during and after an emergency, visit www.ready.gov.

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Disaster Recovery Centers To Close For Memorial Day

Federal Aid Programs Available for the State of West Virginia Declaration

Main Content

Release date:

May 21, 2015

Release Number:

HQ-15-028-FactSheet

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama’s disaster declaration issued for the State of West Virginia.

Assistance for the State and Affected Local Governments Can Include as Required:

Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for emergency protective measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health. Emergency protective measures assistance is available to state and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)
Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations engaged in community service activities. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)
Payment of not more than 75 percent of the approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by state and local governments to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)

How to Apply for Assistance:

Application procedures for state and local governments will be explained at a series of federal/state applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials. Approved public repair projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA and other participating federal agencies.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and 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.

Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema ; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fema and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.

Last Updated:

May 21, 2015 – 22:20

State/Tribal Government or Region:

West Virginia

Related Disaster:

West Virginia Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

Link –

Federal Aid Programs Available for the State of West Virginia Declaration

Disaster Recovery Center to Close in Franklin County

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A disaster recovery center operated by the commonwealth of Kentucky and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Franklin County will close Saturday, May 23, at 6 p.m. (EDT).

The Franklin center is located at 101 University Drive (Kentucky State University Exum Center) in Frankfort.

After the center closes, help is still available to survivors who suffered losses in Bath, Bourbon, Carter, Elliott, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Madison, Rowan and Scott counties during the severe April storms.

Disaster survivor assistance teams with FEMA Corps members will be working storm-stricken areas and can help with mobile applications, updates and referrals to additional resources.

Survivors can register for assistance by using the following methods:

· Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

By calling 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585, Video Relay Service 800-621-3362).
By smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.

Those who need help with applications or appeals can go online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call FEMA’s helpline (800-621-3362, 800-462-7585 for TTY or 800-621-3362 for Video Relay Service).

The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EDT) seven days a week until further notice.

Survivors with questions about an SBA disaster loan application can call the SBA Disaster Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339) or send an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.

To learn more about what preventive measures to take before, during and after an emergency, visit www.ready.gov.

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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.

For more information on Kentucky’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://kyem.ky.gov.

On Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/KYEmergencyManagement. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/kyempio or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.

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Disaster Recovery Center to Close in Franklin County

Talbot County Lowers Flood Insurance Premiums

PHILADELPHIA – Residents of Talbot County, Maryland have received a reduction in their flood insurance premiums through increase of various floodplain management measures encouraged by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) oversees the NFIP, which administers a program called the Community Rating System (CRS). The CRS is a voluntary, incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed minimum NFIP requirements. The program includes 10 different class rating levels based on the number and type of activities voluntarily initiated by the participating community. Each level corresponds to a percentage discount on National Flood Insurance policy premiums within the municipality.

As a member of the Community Rating System, Talbot County is within an elite group of 12 Maryland communities that have received this recognition. With the continued steps taken by Talbot County to protect its citizens and increase its resiliency, it entered into the program as a Class 8 Community Rating System participant on October 1, 2014. The Class 8 rating qualifies eligible National Flood Insurance Program policy holders in the County for an average of over $110 in savings on their annual premiums. In total, participation in the program accounts for a total savings of nearly $107,000 annually for citizens of Talbot County.

Under the CRS, local officials are asked to meet three goals: (1) reduce flood losses; (2) facilitate accurate insurance rating; and (3) promote the awareness of flood insurance. Communities can earn a CRS rating by submitting an application explaining the projects they have in place or development. Once the information is verified and approved, FEMA provides flood insurance premium discounts through the NFIP. The amount of a property owner’s policy discount is based on the community’s CRS rating.

For each Class that a community moves up to, it provides its residents with an additional 5% reduction in their flood insurance premiums up to the 45% reduction that a Class 1 community receives. As a Class 8 community, Talbot County enables its residents to receive a 10% reduction on qualified flood insurance premiums.

For information about flood insurance, property owners should contact their insurance agent, visit floodsmart.gov, or call the NFIP’s toll-free information line at 800-427-4661. To learn more about the CRS, visit floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/page/crs/community_rating_system.jsp.

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. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.

Media Contact: FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov

Originally posted here:

Talbot County Lowers Flood Insurance Premiums

Second Disaster Recovery Center To Open In Jeffferson County

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A second disaster recovery center operated by the commonwealth of Kentucky and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will open at noon Monday, May 18, in Jefferson County.

The new Jefferson center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT) weekdays and Saturday. It is located at 205 W. Wellington Ave. (Beechmont Community Center) in Louisville. The other Louisville center is located at 8501 Preston Highway and has the same hours of operation.

Specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on the types of assistance available to survivors.

Survivors who suffered losses in Bath, Bourbon, Carter, Elliott, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Madison, Rowan and Scott counties can receive person-to-person assistance from specialists skilled in many disaster-related subjects.

Specialists can help with registration, check an individual’s case, answer questions about an application or review information needed to process an application.

Survivors who sustained losses from the severe storms, tornadoes, flooding, landslides and mudslides April 2 through April 17, 2015, should register for assistance before visiting a center.

Survivors can register by using the following methods:

· Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

By calling 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585, Video Relay Service 800-621-3362).
By smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.

The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time seven days a week until further notice.

To learn more about what preventive measures to take before, during and after an emergency, visit www.ready.gov.

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For more information on Kentucky’s disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or http://kyem.ky.gov.

On Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/KYEmergencyManagement. To receive Twitter updates: http://twitter.com/kyempio or www.twitter.com/femaregion4.

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Second Disaster Recovery Center To Open In Jeffferson County

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