A Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery center opened Monday on Jacksonville’s Westside and will close Tuesday at 6 p.m. The temporary center is located at the Bob Hayes Sports Complex and Legends Center at 5054 Soutel Drive.
Survivors of Hurricane Matthew can apply there for temporary housing and help paying for emergency repairs made to their homes.
The new center opens days after the one at the Prime Osborn Convention Center closed down, and it’s an additional attempt to get people registered for assistance before the Dec. 16 deadline.
Manager of the recently opened center Clete Strayer says people should come with the necessary facts and figures in order.
“They’ll need their Social Security number, household income, name and number of insurance company, if applicable. And then we’ll set them up over by the registration desk,” he said.
After registering, people will be given a nine-digit number, which they can use to track their application status.
FEMA spokesman Greg Hughes said,“Once a decision is made on the amount of assistance that a family can receive, it can be paid out within a matter of days.”
He says payments can be done through direct deposit or check.
Throughout the Florida counties under the presidential disaster declaration, approximately 130,000 people have registered for FEMA assistance, totaling about $16 million in approved funding, Hughes says.
Hughes says 4,000 people have registered in Duval County alone.
To register for assistance, visit https://www.disasterassistance.gov/, or call 1-800-621-3362.
News intern Blake Allen can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org, or on Twitter @BAllenMMJ.
