ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- If your property was impacted by the severe storms that cut through Kent County last August, you have until Saturday at 6:30 p.m. to seek in-person assistance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is opening a Disaster Recovery Center today in the Henze Community Center Room, at Alpine Township Fire Station Number One, 1100 Henze St. NW. That is in the Comstock Park area of the township.
FEMA also is opening recovery centers in Eaton and Oakland counties. They will help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance. On rAugust 25th last year, a tornado tore through Comstock Park, Belmont and Rockford, damaging several homes and businesses and leaving a lot of uprooted trees and other debris behind.
An EF-1 tornado packing 110 mile-per-hour winds touched down August 25th in and around Comstock Park, Belmont and Rockford. A National Weather Service survey team said it traveled nearly nine miles. Structural damage was done to several homes and buildings, and many trees were uprooted.
Residents and business owners who suffered property damage or other losses due to this weather event have until April 8, 2024 to apply for assistance from FEMA or SBA. They can do so by either calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or going online at disasterassistance.gov to complete the application. It is important to note that multilingual operators are available to assist those who may require language support.
If residents or business owners need assistance filling out their application, have questions about their application, or if they have received a notice of ineligibility that they wish to challenge, they can come to the DRC to meet in-person with FEMA and SBA representatives. Notices of ineligibility are routine in this process and do not necessarily mean that one cannot receive assistance. Many times, it means that they have not yet provided enough information for the application to be approved.
Here are more details from a FEMA news release:
Specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration at the centers can help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance, upload documents, learn about ways to make their property more disaster-resistant and get their questions answered in person.
All centers are open 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday, except for the Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus in Taylor (Wayne County South East), which closes at 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
All centers are closed Sundays.
Assistance in languages other than English, including American Sign Language (ASL), and translated materials are available at the centers. Disaster Recovery Center locations are chosen for their accessibility, with the goal of reaching as many people as possible. Accessible parking spaces are available.
The Eaton County center will open at 8 a.m., Monday, March 11, at:
Lansing Community College –West Campus
5708 Cornerstone Drive
Lansing, MI 48917
Closing permanently 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16.
The Kent County center will open at 8 a.m., Monday, March 11, at:
Henze Community Center
In the Alpine Township Fire Station #1
1100 Henze St. NW
Comstock Park, MI 49321
Closing permanently 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16.
The Oakland County center will open at 8 a.m., Monday March 11, at:
South Lyon City Hall
335 S. Warren St.
South Lyon, MI 48178
Closing permanently 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16
Additional recovery centers are open at the following locations:
Monroe County: Opened 8 a.m., March 4, at:
Frenchtown Township Fire Dept.
2885 Nadeau Road
Monroe, MI 48162
Closing permanently 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16
Wayne County (South East): Tuesday, Feb. 27, at:
Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus
21000 Northline Road
Taylor, MI 48180
Friday and Saturday hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Open until further notice.
Wayne County (Canton West Central) Opened Tuesday, Feb. 27, at:
Canton Human Services Building
50430 School House Road
Canton, MI 48187
Open until further notice.
Macomb County: Opened 8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at:
Chesterfield Township Fire Department Central Station
33991 23 Mile Road
Chesterfield, MI 48047
Open until further notice.
To find the center nearest you, visit FEMA.gov/DRC. Survivors may visit any center for assistance.
Survivors don’t need to visit a Disaster Recovery Center to apply for FEMA assistance. To apply without visiting a center, call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA App. If you use a relay service such as video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply. The deadline to apply for assistance is April 8, 2024.
For more information about the disaster recovery operation in Michigan, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4757.
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