Florida’s Disaster Recovery Centers Closing Soon

After nearly three months of serving Florida residents impacted by Hurricane Wilma, all remaining Disaster Recovery Centers will be ceasing operations within the next two weeks, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team.

The remaining DRCs will permanently close after conducting business on the days listed below. Until their closure, they will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

At the peak of hurricane-relief activity, 41 Disaster Recovery Centers were operating throughout the area affected by Wilma. As of Jan. 9, DRCs had served more than 135,000 Florida residents. At their peak activity, DRCs across Florida served more than 5,000 residents in a single day. As more Floridians have received assistance – to the tune of nearly $290 million – the number visiting the remaining centers has diminished to a small fraction of that activity.

Although DRC operations will cease, U.S. Small Business Administration workshops will continue at several former DRC locations. At the workshops, visitors can receive help in filling out disaster loan applications from the SBA. The workshops are expected to continue through the end of January and perhaps longer, if needed.