CONTINUOUS FEMA COVERAGE

FEDERAL AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED A CHANGE IN THE HOURS OF OPERATION FOR DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS. MANY INDIVIDUALS NEEDING HELP AFTER HURRICANE IRENE AND TROPICAL STORM LEE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED ASSISTANCE AND MANY OTHERS ARE GETTING THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY PHONE.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE CHANGES IN DRC HOURS OF OPERATION:

DRCS OPEN THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9 WITH HOURS FROM 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M.: BERKS, BRADFORD, COLUMBIA, LEBANON, LUZERNE, LYCOMING, PHILADELPHIA (BELFIELD RECREATION CENTER), SCHUYLKILL, SNYDER, SULLIVAN, SUSQUEHANNA, WYOMING, AND YORK.

DRCS CLOSED ON SUNDAYS, STARTING OCTOBER 9: BUCKS, CHESTER, CUMBERLAND, DAUPHIN, DELAWARE, LANCASTER, MONTGOMERY, NORTHUMBERLAND, AND PHILADELPHIA (PACKARD BUILDING).

ALL DRCS WILL BE OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY FROM 10:00 A.M. TO 7 P.M. AND ON SATURDAYS FROM 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M.

ON COLUMBUS DAY, MONDAY, OCT. 10
ALL DRCS WILL BE OPEN FROM 10 AM-7 PM.

ANYONE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR APPLICATION CAN ALWAYS CALL FEMA AT 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) OR TTY 1-800-462-7585 FOR THE SPEECH- OR HEARING-IMPAIRED. IF YOU USE 711 OR VIDEO RELAY SERVICE (VRS), CALL 1-800-621-3362. OPERATORS ARE MULTILINGUAL AND CALLS ARE ANSWERED SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FROM 7 A.M. TO 10 P.M. FOR DRC LOCATIONS GO ONLINE TO FEMA.GOV/DRCLOCATOR

RENTERS CAN APPLY FOR DISASTER ASSISTANCE

IF YOU RENT A HOME AND CAN'T LIVE IN IT BECAUSE OF HURRICANE IRENE OR TROPICAL STORM LEE, YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GRANT FROM FEMA TO HELP YOU PAY RENT FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING. RENTAL GRANTS ARE EVALUATED AND ISSUED FOR AN INITIAL 30 DAY PERIOD.IF YOUR DISPLACEMENT EXCEEDS 30 DAYS, MONTHLY EVALUATIONS WILL BE MADE BASED ON NEED.
FOR A LIST OF RENTAL PROPERTIES CALL FEMA'S HELPLINE AT:1-800-621-FEMA (3362).IF YOU HAVE A SPEECH DISABILITY OR HEARING LOSS AND USE TTY, CALL 1-800-462-7585 DIRECTLY. THE PENNSYLVANIA STATEWIDE HOUSING LOCATOR ALSO HAS A LIST OF PROPERTIES; CALL THEM AT 1-877-428-8844 (TTY: 711 (RELAY SERVICE)) OR GO TO WWW.PAHOUSINGSEARCH.COM.
IF RENTERS HAVE PERSONAL PROPERTY LOSSES NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE OR FEMA GRANTS, THEY MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A LOW-INTEREST DISASTER LOAN FROM THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. SBA LOANS ARE NOT ONLY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES BUT FOR RENTERS TOO.

FEMA'S FREE REBUILDING ADVICE TEAM EXTENDED FOR SECOND TIME

HARRISBURG, PA. - THE FEMA HAZARD MITIGATION OUTREACH TEAM NOW PROVIDING STORM-DAMAGE REPAIR AND REBUILDING ADVICE IN DAUPHIN COUNTY WILL CONTINUE DOING SO THROUGH MONDAY,OCTOBER 10.

FEMA MITIGATION OUTREACH LOWE'S
4000 UNION DEPOSIT ROAD
HARRISBURG, PA 17109
10:00 AM TO 7:00 PM
NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 10

ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED THROUGH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, THE TEAM'S STAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TWICE BY POPULAR DEMAND FOR INFORMATION THAT HELPS SURVIVORS OF THE RECENT STORMS AND FLOODING BUILD BACK SAFER, SMARTER AND STRONGER. THE OUTREACH TEAM SUGGESTS MITIGATION MEASURES TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THE LONG-TERM RISK TO HUMAN LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM HAZARDS SUCH AS FLOODING AND HIGH WINDS. THEY ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT FEMA'S NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM AND EXPLAIN HOW BEST TO CLEAN UP MOLD, MILDEW AND BACTERIA, A COMMON PROBLEM AFTER FLOODING. THEY ALSO OFFER TIPS ON HOW TO PROTECT STRUCTURES FROM FUTURE FLOODING, INCLUDING INFORMATION ABOUT RELOCATING ELECTRICAL PANELS, WASHERS, DRYERS, AND HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS TO AVOID WATER DAMAGE. BY TAKING PRECAUTIONS AFTER FLOODING, RESIDENTS CAN SAFELY REOCCUPY DAMAGED BUILDINGS. SPENDING A FEW DOLLARS TODAY ON MITIGATION MEASURES CAN SAVE LIVES AND PREVENT DAMAGES IN THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN THE FUTURE.