A second Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) opened on St. Croix Friday, Oct. 13, to provide information and help for survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The new DRC is open in Frederiksted at the Rotary Club West, 40 KA-KD Estate LaGrange. Another DRC is at the Old Post Office Building at Church and Company Streets in Christiansted. Operating hours for both DRCs are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.
Disaster Recovery Centers offer one-on-one support to homeowners, renters and small-business owners because of the major disaster declarations stemming from the hurricanes.
Recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will be available to provide information on the types of help available, assistance with filling out applications and answering questions.
“Hundreds of survivors have visited the recovery center in Christiansted to get help with registrations and learn about our assistance programs,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer William Vogel. “This new center provides an additional opportunity for survivors to sit down and talk with recovery specialists.”
FEMA will soon announce the opening of additional recovery centers on St. Thomas and St. John.
St. Croix was designated for individual assistance under the major disaster declaration for Hurricane Maria. However, survivors of Hurricane Irma may also get their questions answered at the St. Croix recovery centers.
Survivors with connectivity may register with FEMA for assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-3362. Individuals who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585 directly. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) may call 800-621-3362.
These toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (local time) seven days a week. Operators are standing by to assist survivors in multiple languages.
