ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened a Disaster Recovery Center in St. Johns County in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
The site is available for residents of St. Johns, Putnam and Flagler counties who suffered damage or losses from Ian.
The count at last check was 636 homes in St. Johns County damaged in the storm, totalling about $38 million in damage.
That’s not including the millions more that may be needed to repair the county’s infrastructure.
FEMA is here to help.
The center will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Wind Mitigation Building at 3111 Agricultural Center Drive in St. Augustine.
Nancy Schmit, who is managing the DRC, explained what is offered at the site.
“The people that we have here are people who can take FEMA registrations, they can also do status updates, if you’ve registered online, or inquiries,” Schmit said. “We also have small business administration here to help people apply for, you know, the disaster loans that will be available.”
You can get help applying for federal assistance, learn about the types of assistance available, learn about the appeals process and get updates on applications.
Schmit said people should bring their ID to get started. If you don’t have that, you’ll be instructed on what documents to bring back.
Right now, Schmit said they don’t know how long the site will be an available resource for people.
“We’re here to help, and the people who do this work care. We care a lot. So we’ll do the best we can for your residents,” Schmit said. ‘
The damage is extensive throughout St. Johns, and the site is available to residents who had damage in Putnam and Flagler County as well.
In addition to visiting a center, you can apply by visiting disasterassistance.gov, using the FEMA mobile app or calling 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
FEMA Individual Assistance can help with temporary lodging expenses, basic home repairs, and other essential disaster-related needs.
For more info, visit http://sjcfl.us/hurricane.