Two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) opened today on St. Thomas to provide information and help for survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The new recovery centers are in different areas of the island for the convenience of survivors:
- New Hotel Company Omar Brown Fire Station, Conference Room 108, 100A Ross Taarenberg, Charlotte Amalie
- Bordeaux Farmers Market, 109 East Bordeaux, Estate Bordeaux
Operating hours for both DRCs are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until further notice.
Recovery centers offer one-on-one support to homeowners, renters and small-business owners who are working to recover from the September 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, assist with filling out applications and answer questions.
“With communications still a real challenge on St. Thomas, we hope survivors will use these recovery centers as a resource for help and answers – and also as a place to get accurate information,” said FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer William Vogel.
“We encourage anyone who is not sure about federal assistance or is hearing rumors that just don’t sound right to stop by and visit with our folks. They can give you the facts,” he said.
FEMA now has recovery centers open in St. Thomas and St. Croix, and will soon announce the opening of a recovery center in St. John.
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.
