Cocoa (Fla.) Disaster Recovery Center Closing on Nov. 23

The Disaster Recovery Center located in Cocoa, in Brevard County (Florida), will cease operations at the close of business on Wednesday, Nov. 23, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT) announced.

During its time in operation, the Cocoa Disaster Recovery Center served more than 200 area residents impacted by Hurricane Wilma.

Disaster Recovery Centers provide a single location where people are able to talk face-to-face with disaster recovery specialists. They are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. No cash, checks, debit cards or vouchers are distributed at Disaster Recovery Centers. Disaster Recovery Centers do, however, offer many types of recovery information. At the centers, visitors can also receive help filling out disaster loan applications from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

To apply for federal disaster assistance, residents must first register with FEMA. There are two ways to register: log on to www.fema.gov or call FEMA’s toll-free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those with speech or hearing impairment. Both numbers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.

Disaster assistance may include grants to pay for temporary housing, help replace a destroyed home, or pay for minor home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources. Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. SBA also are available for residential and business losses not covered by insurance.