{"id":58066,"date":"2017-11-03T23:33:23","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T23:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=58066"},"modified":"2017-11-03T23:33:23","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T23:33:23","slug":"disaster-recovery-centers-for-hurricane-survivors-top-10000-visitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=58066","title":{"rendered":"Disaster Recovery Centers For Hurricane Survivors Top 10,000 Visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. CROIX — Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) across the U.S. Virgin Islands have reached a milestone, topping 10,000 visits in the few weeks since the first one opened on October 8, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nine recovery centers are now open on St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas to help homeowners, renters and small-business owners register for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), check on the status of their applications and get questioned answered about the assistance available as a result of the major disaster declarations for hurricanes Irma and Maria.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe track the number of visits to the recovery centers so we can tell whether these resources are of use to survivors,\u201d said FEMA\u2019s Federal Coordinating Office William Vogel. \u201cThis milestone means that more than 10,000 times a Virgin Islander has gotten one-on-one help from our recovery experts.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ongoing connectivity challenges across the islands have made the recovery centers an especially valuable source of information and assistance for survivors, since they cannot easily make calls or log on to online resources, Vogel said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration are available seven days a week at DRCs across the territory. Most DRCs are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except at St. Peter\u2019s church in \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0St. Croix, which is open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. due to morning services, and the Rotary Club West location in St. Croix, which is closed certain Sundays due to events at the location.<\/span><\/p>\n

The deadline to register with FEMA for assistance has been extended to December 18 for both disasters, but survivors are strongly encouraged to register as soon as possible so their needs can be assessed and the appropriate assistance provided.<\/span><\/p>\n

St. Croix DRCs are at:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n