Disaster recovery center now open in Valley

MAT-SU -- People with questions for Federal Emergency Management Agency officials will now be able to get answers in person and find out more about funding available to them at the Disaster Recovery Center recently opened in the Mat-Su Borough Gymnasium in Palmer.

The center, located at 350 E. Dahlia Ave., should be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The center is expected to remain open for about two weeks.

According to information from FEMA Public Information Officer Charlie Henderson Monday, four inspectors are now in the field, inspecting property across Southcentral Alaska that was damaged in the March 6 through 14 windstorms.

The storm, and the resulting damage, were declared a federal disaster on April 26. As of May 3, $57,000 had been distributed to individual homeowners as housing assistance.

Nearly 50 properties had been inspected and about 250 applications had been received. Of those applications, 51 from Palmer-area residents, 63 from Wasilla-area residents and 11 from other Mat-Su communities. During that same time frame, Anchorage residents filed 86 applications and Kenai residents 38.

Henderson said the recovery center is primarily a place people can go to get questions answered about their application. FEMA staff recommend that people complete the interview process by using FEMA's toll-free number -- 1-800-621-FEMA -- before stopping by the recovery center, and that they bring their application registration number with them to the center.

Although anyone who experienced damage through the windstorm is encouraged to register, Henderson said FEMA funds only pick up after other sources, such as insurance, have paid their portion of repair costs.

"If they're covered by insurance, insurance picks it up," Henderson said. "If they're uninsured and it falls into an area of habitability, FEMA covers it."

FEMA staff have stated before the importance of going through the application process even if damage was minimal. There is a 60-day time limit on disaster registrations, according to FEMA's Region 10 Federal Coordinating Officer William Lokey, and if someone identifies damages on their property related to the windstorm a few months from now, they must have been registered with FEMA in order to obtain funding.

Although the recovery center office is tentatively scheduled to be open for just two weeks, Henderson said FEMA's schedule is dependent on the need of residents in the area.

"We'll be here as long as you need us," Henderson said.