DES MOINES, Iowa – Hours of operation for four state/federal Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs), open to help flood survivors in western Iowa, will be changing beginning this weekend.
As of April 21, the DRCs no longer will be open on Sundays. Operating hours for the centers in Harrison, Mills and Woodbury counties are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until further notice. The hours for Fremont County’s DRC will change on April 22 to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
The adjustment of hours for these temporary centers is typical and generally based on the volume of visitors.
Survivors can visit any location that is convenient, even one outside of your county of residence or where you are currently staying. These centers are located at:
Fremont County: 2014 290th Ave., Sidney, IA, 51652
Mills: 111 Lacey St., Glenwood, IA, 51534
Harrison: 800 West Huron St., Missouri Valley, IA, 51555
Woodbury: 4647 Stone Ave., Sioux City, IA, 51106
DRCs are one-stop information centers that provide a place for homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage from the severe storms and flooding beginning March 12 to get critical disaster recovery information in a face-to-face setting. You can apply at any DRC, even in a neighboring state, if necessary. To find the nearest DRC to you, go online to www.fema.gov/drc.
One-on-one assistance includes:
- Help to register for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program;
- Help completing paperwork and checking the status of your application;
- Help applying for the SBA’s low-interest disaster loans for businesses, private nonprofits, homeowners and renters;
- Referrals to other state, federal and voluntary organizations offering information about additional disaster assistance;
- Help understanding how to appeal FEMA eligibility decisions;
- Accommodations to meet the needs of the entire community including people with access and functional needs. Centers are equipped with video remote interpreting and assistive listening devices.
Those applying for assistance at a DRC should have the following information on hand:
- Social Security number
- Address of the damaged primary residence
- Description of the damage
- Information about insurance coverage
- A current contact telephone number
- An address where they can receive mail
- Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds
The FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, voice/711/video relay service, is another tool for survivors who have questions about their application or need referrals to other organizations that can help. Multilingual operators are available. TTY users may dial 800-462-7585. Lines are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.
For more information, visit the Iowa Disaster Recovery website at www.floods2019.iowa.gov.
FEMA also hosts a website with information for this disaster at www.fema.gov/disaster/4421