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New facility to be located at ICC-Polk Campus

 

COLUMBUS—On Monday, December 16, Polk County’s FEMA Disaster Relief Center will begin operating in Columbus to assist survivors who experienced loss from Tropical Storm Helene. The DRC will be relocated to its new permanent location at the Isothermal Community College Polk Campus, next to the Polk County Library.

The Disaster Relief Center at the Polk County Recreation Complex parking lot in Mill Spring will continue to provide services until Saturday, December 14. Due to winter conditions, operations at the tented location will permanently cease after this date.

The new location will operate from 1 to 6 p.m on Monday. Beginning Tuesday, December 17, regular hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The DRC will be closed on Sundays.

A DRC is a one-stop shop where survivors can meet with FEMA representatives, apply for FEMA assistance, and receive referrals to local assistance in their area. No appointment is needed. At the new location, FEMA representatives will continue to provide these services.

“If you haven’t registered with FEMA yet, you can come here and do so. If you have registered, you can come here, and staff can pull up your file and help with anything needed,” said FEMA spokesperson Nathan Custer. “I think a lot of people are more comfortable talking to a person across from one of these tables, face to face. FEMA’s mission is to help people before, during, and after disasters.”

The Mill Spring FEMA Disaster Recovery Center opened in November.   

“We have a lot of resources here at the center,” said Disaster Relief Center Manager Daniel Bueno. “Other agencies with the state of North Carolina are here and have a lot of resources they can offer, as well.”  

The ICC-Polk Campus is located at 1255 W. Mills St. For more information about FEMA disaster relief services, visit www.fema.gov or call the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362.