A disaster recovery center is now open in Whiteville in Columbus County to offer in-person support to individuals and businesses in counties included in the North Carolina federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Florence.
Representatives from the State of North Carolina, FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and other organizations are at the centers to explain available assistance programs and help connect survivors with resources that best match their recovery needs.The center is located at:
Old Board of Elections Building 50 Legion Drive Suite A
Whiteville, N.C. 28472
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., until further notice
Disaster survivors can visit any of the centers for assistance. Use the FEMA mobile app, the ReadyNC app, or visit FEMA.gov/DRC for center locations and times.
Homeowners, renters and businesses should register for disaster assistance before visiting a recovery center. There are several ways to register:
• Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or DisasterAssistance.gov/es (for Spanish).
• Use the FEMA mobile app in English or Spanish or the ReadyNC app.
• Call the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 (TTY) anytime from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.
All recovery centers are accessible to people with disabilities. Centers have assistive technology to aid in communication. To schedule an American Sign Language interpreter, call or text 202-655-8824.
Survivors may follow these links to access informational videos in ASL:
• Requesting an interpreter (ASL) fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/172199
• Disaster Recovery Centers (ASL) https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/127259
The 31 North Carolina counties now designated for Individual Assistance are: Anson,
Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin,
Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover,
Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland,
Union, Wayne and Wilson.
The NC 211 statewide information line can provide callers with nearby shelter, housing and other storm-related details. Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 (TTY), or text Florence to 898211. The information line is staffed around the clock to connect North Carolinians to storm resources.
For more information on North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Florence, visit ncpds.gov/Florence and FEMA.gov/Disaster/4393. Follow us on Twitter: @NCEmergency and @FEMARegion4.
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