VERMONT – The state and federal Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) at Goddard College in Plainfield closed permanently at the end of the day, Sunday, Sept. 15.
The five remaining centers across Vermont have changed their hours and days of operation.
As of September 15, four DRCs will no longer be open on Sundays. The hours of operation from Monday to Saturday have been shortened to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice. Those centers are located at Brighton Town Hall Gym, 49 Mill Street, Island Pond; Lyndon Public Safety Facility, 316 Main Street, Lyndonville; Waterbury Armory, 294 Armory Drive, Waterbury and Barre Municipal Auditorium, 20 Auditorium Hill, Barre.
The DRC at Hinesburg Town Hall, 10632 Route 116, Hinesburg, remains open on Sundays, operating from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday to Saturday until further notice.
The adjustment of hours for these temporary centers is typical and generally based on the volume of visitors. No appointment is needed to visit a DRC.
FEMA specialists and representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which can provide low-interest disaster loans to survivors, will be on hand to discuss available assistance.
Those affected by the disaster do not have to visit a DRC in order to apply. Survivors can also register in one of the following ways:
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov. The FEMA website is accessible and includes language translation options.
By phone at (800) 621-3362. Press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish and 3 for all other languages. If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service. Phone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Download FEMA’s Mobile App. Select Disaster Resources and click on Apply for Assistance Online.
All centers are accessible to people with disabilities and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology equipment. If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter, please call (833) 285-7448 (press 2 for Spanish).
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
