LAKE MARY, Fla. – The State of Florida and FEMA opened Disaster Recovery Centers in Columbia and Jefferson counties to provide one-on-one help to people affected by Hurricane Idalia. The centers will remain open until further notice.
Locations:
- Columbia County: Lake City Reporter, 180 E Duval Street in Lake City, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Jefferson County: Jefferson County Library, 375 S Water Street in Monticello, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
Additional open fixed sites:
- Citrus County: West Citrus Community Center, 8940 W Veterans Drive in Homosassa, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Dixie County: Dixie County Public Library, 16328 SE US-19 in Cross City, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Hamilton County: Court House Annex/Chamber of Commerce, 1153 NW US Hwy 41 in Jasper, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Lafayette County: Mayo Community Center, 150 NW Community Cir. in Mayo, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Levy County: Inglis Community Center, 137 Hwy 40 W in Inglis, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Madison County: Career Source North Florida, 705 E Base St. in Madison, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Suwannee County: Agricultural Coliseum Exhibition Building 2, 1302 SW 11 St. in Live Oak, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Taylor County:
- Loughridge Park, W 15th St. in Perry, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
- Steinhatchee Community Center, 1013 S Riverside Drive in Steinhatchee, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sun
There are also several Mobile Centers helping with applications. Other services may be limited at these locations:
- Levy County: Cedar Key Fire Station parking lot, 489 1st St. in Cedar Key, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Sat-Sun - Pasco County: Hudson Library, 8012 Library Rd. in Hudson, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon-Tues, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wed-Thurs, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fri-Sat, closed Sun
No appointment is necessary to visit a Disaster Recovery Center. Residents are welcome to visit any open DRC, you don’t have to reside in that county. More centers will open soon.
Disaster Recovery Centers provide disaster survivors with information from Florida state agencies, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Survivors can get help applying for federal assistance, learn about the types of assistance available, learn about the appeals process and get updates on applications.
In addition to visiting a center, people can apply by going online to DisasterAssistance.gov, using the FEMA mobile app or calling 800-621-3362, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET every day. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. The deadline to apply with FEMA is Oct. 30, 2023.
Disaster Recovery Centers are accessible to people with disabilities. They have assistive technology equipment that allows disaster survivors to interact with staff. Video Remote Interpreting is available and in-person sign language is available by request. The centers also have accessible parking, ramps and restrooms.
FEMA Individual Assistance can help with temporary lodging expenses, basic home repairs and other essential disaster-related needs.
For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance go to Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube.
For the latest information on Florida’s recovery from Hurricane Idalia, visit floridadisaster.org/updates/ and fema.gov/disaster/4734. Follow FEMA on X, formerly known as Twitter, at twitter.com/femaregion4 and at facebook.com/fema.