CULLMAN – An Alabama EMA/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will open in Cullman Monday morning, May 14 at Cullman City Hall. It is one of three DRCs that will open next week. The other two will be in Calhoun and Etowah Counties.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the DRCs will be one-stop information centers for homeowners and renters who sustained damage as a result of the severe storms and tornadoes March 19-20, 2018.
“Business owners who had damage and who may be interested in talking to the Small Business Administration about a low-interest business loan also may want to visit one of the DRCs,” said Alabama’s State Coordinating Officer Brett Howard.
Hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
The DRCs will be located at:
Cullman County
Cullman City Hall
204 Second Ave. NE
Cullman, AL 35055
Calhoun County
Jacksonville Community Center
501A Alexandria Road SW
Jacksonville, AL 36265
Etowah County
Rainbow City Annex
4412 Rainbow Drive
Rainbow City, AL 35906
“The recovery centers serve as a central location for survivors who need one-on-one help,” said Thomas McCool, FEMA federal coordinating officer for the disaster. “State and federal professionals will be available to assist eligible survivors to get help as quickly as possible.”
According to FEMA on hand to answer questions at the centers will be specialists from the State of Alabama, FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), nongovernment organizations and the local community.
services provided will include:
- Guidance regarding disaster recovery
- Clarification of any written correspondence received
- Funding for housing repairs and rental assistance
- Answers to questions, resolutions to problems and referrals to agencies that may provide further assistance
- Status of applications being processed by FEMA
FEMA said assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses. Applicants also may be referred to SBA to apply for a low-interest disaster loan from SBA. These loans may be available to qualified individuals and families to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
Those with storm damage in affected counties also can register for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Multilingual operators are available.
Disaster assistance applicants who use TTY should call 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.
For more information on disaster recovery, go online to Alabama Emergency Management: ema.alabama.gov and Twitter: @AlabamaEMA. You also can follow FEMA on Twitter: @femaregion4, Instagram: @fema, and Facebook: @FEMA.
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