WINDSOR – The Disaster Recovery Center in Bertie County is open.

The facility, under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, opened at 12 noon Monday. The facility will continue to be open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday, Sept. 30.

The Center is located at 103 West School Street in the gym area of the Bertie County Council on Aging.

Assistance is available to receive answers to disaster-related question, information about state and federal program, help with completing paperwork and tips and advice for rebuilding.

“After doing assessments and meeting with local officials, we thought this was a good time to open the Disaster Recovery Center,” said FEMA Spokesman William C. Lindsey. “For those who have already filed and received an application, they can come to the Center and get help filling out the application or find out the status of the application.”

Lindsey said there were a number of people waiting for the center’s opening Monday and that it has been active throughout the day. Those coming to the DRC are encouraged to go through the registration process first. Registration for FEMA assistance online is available at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. The telephone line is 800-621-FEMA.

When applying for assistance, those who have suffered damage from Hurricane Irene will need the following information:

• The address of the damaged home or apartment;
• Names of people living in the household;
• Insurance information;
• Description of damage;
• Social Security number;
• Telephone number; and
• Bank account number if disaster assistance funds are to be sent directly to the bank.

“When you apply you will be given a FEMA application number,” Interim Bertie Emergency Management Coordinator Misty Deanes said. “Write down your application number and save it for future reference. You will need the application number whenever you contact FEMA.”

Lindsey also insisted that anyone displaced by Hurricane Irene can go to whichever Disaster Recovery Center is most convenient.

“If they’re staying with someone or in a hotel out of town, they can go online to find the closest Disaster Recovery Center and go there,” he said. “They do not have to go to the one in their home county.”