Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Hurricane Idalia has come and gone, but many Jefferson County residents are continuing to deal with the damage the storm left in its wake. Those who need information about and help with Hurricane Idalia damage claims will find FEMA and SBA staff available to give in-person assistance at the Jefferson County R.J. Bailar Library seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., until further notice. As of Tuesday, the library, located at 375 S. Water St., has been officially serving as our community's FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC).
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office states that the function of the DRC is to
- assist in completing applications
- provide information
- update or give status of submitted applications
- provide referral services to other organizations
- provide access to the SBA for loan help and customer service.
Library Director Natalie Binder says that FEMA and SBA personnel will be set up in the library's Community Room and Computer Lab.
FEMA's Individuals and Households Program provides financial assistance and direct services to eligible individuals and households affected by a disaster, who have uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs.
Binder explains that this kind of assistance may help qualified residents obtain a lodging reimbursement, rent for temporary housing, repairs to the home and other needs such as medical expenses, replacement of clothing, replacement of destroyed student computers and reimbursement for generators purchased after the storm.
Information to bring to the DRC include the following:
- Social Security number
- Address of your damaged home or apartment
- Description of the damage
- Information about insurance coverage
- Current contact telephone number
- Address where you can receive mail
- Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds
The library will function as our DRC until further notice. During this time, Binder says the library will continue to be open for library services during its regular hours.
The library functioned as a primary location for distributing emergency supplies immediately following Hurricane Idalia.
“I think that the community partnerships have been really great,” says Binder. “It's been great to work with everybody.”
Binder is happy that the library can continue to serve residents, now as the DRC, as our community's recovery continues. For more information, call (850) 342-0205.