Gadsden County’s Disaster Recovery Center – opened in the wake of Hurricane Michael – will close tomorrow, Federal Emergency Management Agency announced this past Wednesday.
Located inside the old Gretna Elementary School building, 706 MLK Jr. Boulevard, Gretna, the joint FEMA and Florida Division of Emergency Management-run center’s final day of operation is this Friday, February 15. It will close its doors for the last time at 6 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
The announcement comes just two weeks after the Jackson County Disaster Recovery Center in Marianna closed; after Friday, Blountstown’s Disaster Recovery Center will be the nearest location to seek face-to-face disaster recovery assistance for Gadsden and Jackson county storm victims.
The The Blountstown/Calhoun County Disaster Recovery Center is inside the Blountstown Public Library, 17731 NE Pear Street, Blountstown. The Center operates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 12 noon to 5 p.m., Sunday (Central Standard Time).
At the Blountstown and other three remaining Disaster Recovery Centers in the Panhandle, Hurricane Michael survivors can obtain face-to-face help with applying for household aid, Small Business Administration recovery assistance and other disaster relief services, according to FEMA. Center locations can be found online at FEMA.gov/DRC.
Survivors may also visit disasterassistance.gov or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585) for recovery assistance or general information.
Since opening on October 24, the Gadsden County Disaster Recovery Center has assisted more than 3,400 visitors, a FEMA news release states. FEMA officials said they coordinate with the State of Florida to determine where to open disaster recovery centers and how long they are needed.
