Liberty County disaster aid centers open

If you lost food or suffered property damage during Hurricane Helene or Tropical Storm Debby, two sites in Liberty County are opening to help you navigate the process of getting federal aid. The site is open to people from any county who need this assistance, not just Liberty County.

One site, the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) , will handle federal aid from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) , Small Business Administration (SBA) , and other state and local agencies, including help for those who applied online but whose applications were rejected.

The DRC will operate out of the Miller Park Fire Station, 6912 E. Oglethorpe Highway, Midway, and opens Friday, October 18. Hours will be Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Liberty County Emergency Management Director Robert Dodd said that the DRC site is the only one of its kind in the area.

“Right now, I know Chatham County is probably going to get one within the next week. Glynn County might, but right now, that there is the only one in the area, and then they can do Hurricane Helene or Tropical Storm Debby, especially out in the Mt. Olive Church Road [area].” Mt. Olive Church Road and surrounding areas in Flemington were severely damaged and cut off for days by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Debby.

A separate United States Department of Agriculture program for people who lost power and food during the storms will operate out of First Baptist Church, 220 Memorial Drive, Hinesville. The program is called D-SNAP — short for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — but you do not need to receive SNAP benefits to apply for D-SNAP.

“D-SNAP is going to bring in 110 people to work, and what it is you’re going to be able to go in there and apply for the SNAP program,” Dodd said Thursday. “You go in there and fill an application, and if you qualify, you’ll get approved with that.”

The site will be open for 6 days only, starting Monday, October 21 through Saturday, October 26, and Monday, October 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until the last customer is served. After that, the center will close.

According to Dodd, the DRC and D-SNAP programs are open to anyone affected by the storms, whether or not they are Liberty County residents.

You also can apply online or by phone:

• visit disasterassistance.gov (English) or disasterassistance.gov/es (Spanish)
• call 800-621-3362
• dial 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), also at 800-621-3362

You will need to have:

• your address and zip code
• condition of your damaged home
• insurance information, if available
• your Social Security number
• phone number where you can be reached
• address where you can get mail, or e-mail address to get electronic notifications

You will receive a FEMA number that you must use whenever you contact FEMA.

Disaster assistance funds can be direct deposited in your bank account. You will need to provide:

• your bank account type (checking or savings)
• account number
• bank routing number

Be sure that you are speaking directly with someone from FEMA before providing your personal or bank information.

If you live outside Liberty County, but can’t get there, you can check for new DRCs in other counties as they open by visiting FEMA’s DRC Locator page at https://egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/DRCLocator .