MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — On Saturday FEMA opened up a Disaster Recovery Center in Manatee County for one-on-one assistance for residents affected by Hurricane Debby.
The center is being run out of the Lakewood Ranch Library.
FEMA says people affected by Hurricane Debby could apply for aid on line or over the phone, but many residents, especially seniors, tend to feel more comfortable sitting at a table across from a person who understands what they are going through.
“The process can look very complicated to some people and they don’t understand what they might or might not be eligible for,” said FEMA Spokesperson Nate Custer. “Some of the main ingredients are temporary housing assistance, some emergency home repairs or replacing personal property that was lost.”
However, aid isn’t only available for residents who suffered damage to their home, but also damage to their livelihood.
“Lets say you have a resident that was self employed and had tools or equipment lost and that cuts very much into that person’s income, FEMA could consider replacing those items,” said Custer.
FEMA says it’s important for residents to bring any materials with them that can help justify their case.
“If they have receipts from emergency work, maybe a contractor helped them pull out wet drywall that they’ve already paid for, bring those receipts and any photos they have of what the damage was like when the water was up, and what it looked like afterword, those photos are very helpful,” said Custer.
The center isn’t just for Manatee County residents, but any resident living within the 10 counties that have received presidential disaster declaration.
“I just think encountering FEMA, it’s a good powerful plus for them, because when they go through something like this they are almost like living day to day, what is tomorrow going to bring, how am I going to get along, they still may be in a state of shock,” said Custer. “And when people come here they are going to tell their friends and neighbors, ‘hey I was down in the recovery center and got some good help you ought to check it out.’”
The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center is open every day of the week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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