OCTOBER 3 - BURLINGTON -- Federal and state officials announce that all fixed-site disaster recovery centers will now be open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Friday, October 7. In addition all centers will be closed Monday, Oct. 10, in observance of Columbus Day.

It is not necessary for Vermonters affected by Tropical Storm Irene to visit a center in order to receive disaster assistance.  In fact, people with storm-related losses are encouraged to register with FEMA before visiting a center. 

Register by calling toll-free 800-621-FEMA (3362), online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via a web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Multilingual registration assistance is available if needed. Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use a TTY can call 800-462-7585 directly; or 800-621-3362 if using 711 or Video Relay Service.  The deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance is Monday, Oct. 31.

Those who have questions about disaster assistance can call 800-621-3362 and select the “help” option.  Applicants who would like to speak to someone face to face can visit a center, which is staffed with disaster recovery specialists from various federal, state and local agencies and organizations who can answer questions about disaster assistance.

Locations for the fixed-site centers are shown below:

Municipal Office Building

119 Park Avenue

Lyndonville, VT 05851                   

Okemo Market Place

Between Cool Moose and Dark Side Snowboard Shop

57 Pond Street, Suite #4

Ludlow, VT 05149

Rutland Heart Center

1 Commons Street

Rutland, VT  05701

Dover Town Hall

120 Taft Brook Road

Dover, VT  05341

Waterbury Fire Department

43 South Main Street

Waterbury, VT  05676

Six of the eleven centers are closing this week.

The following two centers will close at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 4

Living Memorial Park Skating Rink

61 Memorial Park Drive

Brattleboro, VT  05301

The Rock Church

473 Woodstock Road

Woodstock, VT  05091

The following two centers will close at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 5

U.S. Post Office (Upstairs)

2046 Route 4

Killington, VT 05751

Northfield Library (Community Room)

93 South Main Street

Northfield, VT  05663

The following two centers will close at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 6

Bennington Fire Department

130 River Street

Bennington, VT  05201

Hartford Fire Department

2^nd Floor Training Room

812 VA Cutoff Road

White River Junction, VT 05001

The mobile disaster recovery center vehicle is open this week in Hancock and South Royalton.  It is equipped with phone and computer connectivity. The following is the vehicle’s schedule of visits to Vermont communities:

• Addison County

Hancock Town Hall

1097 Rt. 100, Hancock 05748

Opening noon – 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 3;

8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 4; and 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 5

• Windsor County

South Royalton Journey Church

412 S. Windsor St., South Royalton 05068

Opening noon – 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 6;

8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 7; and 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 8

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.  If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use a TTY may call 1-800-462-7585 directly; or call 1-800-621-3362 if using 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS).

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.

SBA disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for people with speech or hearing disabilities) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET; Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET or by sending an e-mail to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Applications can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov or completed on-line at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.