FEMA Disaster Recovery Center Opens In Huntington To Assist With Federal Aid Requests
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - In Suffolk County, a Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center has been set up in Huntington to help residents get information about how to apply for aid in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy.
The FEMA setup at Huntington Town Hall is one of two new centers announced by the federal agency on Sunday. The other new center has been opened at Staten Island Borough Hall.
WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs
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"We sustained quite a bit of damage to our property from the tidal surge," a Huntington Bay resident told WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs. "I've got a deck over my bulkhead and stairs going down to the beach and they're totally destroyed."
"Big trees came down, felled all the lines in my neighborhood," another Huntington resident said.
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Sandy victims are getting their disaster relief questions answered by FEMA representatives, Xirinachs reported.
"If you had damage that you believe is not going to be covered by your insurance, please come see us," FEMA assistance manager Jan Freemond.
Federal aid is not just available for damaged property, Freemond said.
"If you lost wages due to the storm, we have information about disaster unemployment," she told Xirinachs.
"I had to put my mother in an assisted living facility the last three weeks because I had no power," a Huntington resident told Xirinachs.
Residents can get information and assistance in filing for federal aid for property damage, lost landscaping, injuries or lost income, Freemond said.
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"And we absolutely want an opportunity to talk to them to reassure them and to direct them to whatever resources are out there for them," she added.
Freemond said recovery effort is a process and this is the first step.
FEMA already had two dozen assistance centers set up in New York alone.
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