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FEMA Opens Storm Recovery Center In Westchester

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open a multipurpose Hurricane Sandy recovery center at the Westchester County Center in White Plains Thursday at 3 p.m., County Executive Robert Astorino announced.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open a Disaster Recovery Center at the Westchester County Center Thursday at 3 p.m.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open a Disaster Recovery Center at the Westchester County Center Thursday at 3 p.m.

Photo Credit: Brian Donnelly

Beginning Friday, the FEMA center will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. The center will be staffed with representatives from:

  • Con Edison to answer customer questions about outages and restorations - Kevin Burke, chairman and CEO of Con Edison, will be on hand Thursday when the recovery center opens;
  • ·FEMA to help individuals and households apply for financial aid for losses and damages caused by the storm;
  •  The Small Business Administration, which will help businesses apply for low-interest loans for storm-related damages;
  • A variety of social services agencies will also be on hand  to provide residents with recovery assistance;
  • The Department of Health will be at the County Center  Friday, Saturday and Sunday and at other locations giving free tetanus shots to anyone involved with cleanup.

“The idea behind the center is to provide a place where people can get up-to-date information about their personal needs,” Astorino said. “One thing I heard over and over again as I spoke with people around the county was utter frustration in not getting questions answered from Con Ed.”

There are 31,553 Con Edison customers and 1,308 New York State Electric & Gas customers without power in Westchester County as of noon Thursday.

President Barack Obama declared Westchester a disaster area, which makes residents eligible to apply for disaster aid, along with local governments and nonprofit agencies.

Residents are asked to call 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- and hearing-impaired. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.

Another option is to register online at www.disasterassistance.gov  or via web-enabled phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until further notice.

Before visiting the recovery center in White Plains, FEMA advises people to register for disaster aid.

Those that do visit the recovery center to apply for assistance should be ready to provide a Social Security number (including your spouse’s if applicable); private insurance information, if available; address and zip code of the damaged property; directions to the damaged home or property; a daytime telephone number; and an address where you can receive mail.

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