FEMA disaster center opens for Ida victims

The Downingtown center will help those whose homes or personal property were affected by the remnants of Ida.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania / FEMA Disaster Recovery Center located at Ashbridge Square Shopping Center, 945 East Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown has opened to help those whose homes or personal property were affected by the remnants of Hurricane Ida between Aug. 31 and Sept. 5, 2021.

The Chester County DRC location and hours are: Ashbridge Square Shopping Center (next to Staples and Home Depot) 945 E Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown. Hours of Operation: Monday — Friday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Chester County DRC will be closed on Sundays.

Disaster Recovery Centers provide disaster survivors with information from Pennsylvania state agencies, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Survivors can get help applying for federal assistance, learn about the types of assistance available, learn about the appeals process and get updates on applications.

Visiting a Disaster Recovery Center is not required to register with FEMA. To register: Call the FEMA Helpline at 800621-3362. Multilingual operators are available.

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-4627585. If you use 711 or VRS (Video Relay Service) or require accommodations while visiting a center, call 800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Help is available in most languages, and information on the registration process is available in ASL at fema. gov/media-library/assets/ videos/111546. Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Disaster Recovery Centers are accessible to people with disabilities. They have assistive technology equipment that allows disaster survivors to use amplified telephones, phones that display text, amplified listening devices for people with hearing loss, and magnifiers for people with vision loss. Video Remote Interpreting is available and in-person sign language is available by request. The centers also have accessible parking, ramps and restrooms.

FEMA’s Individual Assistance program is designed to help survivors with immediate essential needs and to help displaced survivors find a safe, functional place to live temporarily until they can return home. Many survivors may have additional needs beyond what can be provided by FEMA. The agency works closely with state, federal, faith-based and voluntary agencies to help match survivors who have remaining needs with other sources of assistance.

For information about SBA’s disaster assistance, call 1-800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visit SBA’s website at SBA.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard of hearing individuals may call 800877-8339.

Additional agencies and services will be present once the DRCs reach full operational capability next week. All centers will follow COVID-19 precautions and masks will be required by both FEMA specialists and survivors.

For updates on the Pennsylvania response and recovery, follow the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency twitter.com/ PEMAHQ on Twitter and Facebook https://m.facebook.com/PEMAHQ/.

For more information about Pennsylvania’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4816.

The registration deadline for FEMA Disaster Assistance in Pennsylvania is Nov. 10, 2021.