State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center Moving to New Location

MONTGOMERY, Alabama, March 25 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:

A State/FEMA disaster recovery center in Lee County will change location Tuesday, March 26.

The center now operating at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 784 Lee Road 298 in Smiths Station will be moving to:

Smiths Station City Hall, 2336 Lee Road 430, Smiths Station, AL 36877

Hours of operation will be 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.

The centers offer in-person support to individuals and businesses in Lee County affected by the recent tornadoes. Recovery specialists from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the state and other interests are at the centers to talk about available assistance and to help anyone who needs guidance.

The centers are accessible to people with disabilities and have assistive technology equipment for use by disaster survivors with vision loss. Video Remote Interpreting is available by request. The centers also have accessible parking, ramps and restrooms.

Homeowners, renters and business owners should register for disaster assistance with FEMA before visiting a recovery center by:

* Visiting DisasterAssistance.gov.

* Calling 800-621-3362 (TTY) 800-462-7585

The following information is helpful when registering:

* Name and Social Security number of the primary applicant.

* Name and Social Security number of secondary/co-applicant (encouraged but not required).

* Current and pre-disaster address.

* Names of all occupants of the pre-disaster household.

* Current contact information.

* Types of insurance held by the household.

* Household pre-disaster annual gross income.

* Losses caused by disaster.

* Banking information for direct deposit of financial assistance, if requested.

If a registered disaster survivor has received a letter or email from FEMA that says he or she is ineligible for FEMA assistance, a good place to find out why and perhaps have FEMA revisit that decision is a disaster recovery center.