Disaster recovery centers will close

After the centers are gone, flood victims can still call FEMA for aid.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Disaster relief officials are getting ready to roll out of the Mahoning Valley.
Disaster recovery centers for victims of this summer's flooding and tornado in Mahoning and Trumbull counties will close Friday and remain closed during the long Labor Day weekend.
When they reopen next week, the centers will have been scaled back to being satellite offices for the federal Small Business Administration, processing applications for loans from both businesses and private citizens for storm damage, said Karl R. Suchman, Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman.
People can visit the SBA workshops to apply for low-interest loans to help pay for storm damage repair. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday until further notice.
Mahoning County's disaster relief center is on the first floor of the South Side Annex, 2801 Market St. Trumbull's is at 418 Main St. S.W., Warren, near the Warren Flea Market.
Suchman said 4,012 applications have been processed so far in Mahoning County, compared with 3,905 in Trumbull and 599 in Columbiana, where the relief center has already closed.
He said FEMA has approved relief funding of $5.7 million in Trumbull County, $4.5 million in Mahoning and $500,000 in Columbiana.
Function of centers
The centers opened earlier this month and gave people a central location to seek advice and funding for recovering from July's violent weather. They have since remained open daily.
Suchman said residents still can call the agency's toll-free telephone number to register for storm damage assistance, although time also is running out on that option.
"Just because the centers are closing does not mean it's all over," Suchman said. "People still can call, but it's just not as intimate talking to someone over the telephone as it is talking to someone in person."
Suchman said he's not sure when FEMA will cut off the phone registration service but it will probably be soon. Those who have not yet called FEMA to register a claim for damages should do so now, before that door closes, he said.
The toll-free number is (800) 621-3362. Registering with FEMA is the first step in getting disaster aid, said Walter Duzzny, Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency director.
Callers will be asked to complete an application over the phone and will receive a case number, be visited by an investigator, and must provide documentation such as insurance policies and deductibles, pictures of damage and rebuilding, and receipts for work completed.
bjackson@vindy.com