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• LITTLE NECK LEDGER
• WHITESTONE TIMES
Sept. 17 - Sept. 23, 2021
Queens College transforms into disaster recovery
program for residents impacted by Hurricane Ida
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
has opened a Disaster Recovery
Center at Queens College
in Flushing to assist residents
who were impacted by storm
damage and flooding caused by
the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
Governor Kathy Hochul on
Thursday, Sept. 9, announced
the opening of six facilities in
the city and Westchester County,
where people can seek assistance
from recovery specialists
from FEMA and the U.S. Small
Business Administration.
“New Yorkers who were
impacted by last week’s devastating
floods and storm damage
can now receive in-person,
one-on-one assistance with professionals
equipped to assist
in the recovery process,” said
Hochul, who thanked the federal
government for working
quickly to establish the facilities
to get New Yorkers the help
they need.
Queens College President
Frank Wu said they are working
with the federal government
and CUNY to provide secure
and safe campus space in
order to host a disaster recovery
program accessible to the
community.
“It is vitally important to
help our neighbors gain easy
access to the federal assistance
they need to mitigate the
horrific impact of the recent
United States Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visits the new FEMA Disaster
Recovery Center in the Student Union at Queens College, where he was joined by Assemblywoman Nily
Rozic, Councilman James Gennaro, Queens College President Frank H. Wu, and with Congresswoman
Grace Meng. Courtesy of Queens College
weather,” Wu told QNS.
The college’s Student Union,
located at 152-45 Melbourne
Ave., will be open daily from 8
a.m. to 7 p.m. where residents
can meet with officials from
FEMA and the U.S. Small Business
Administration.
Those officials will answer
questions and provide information
on the types of federal
help available to homeowners,
renters and business owners
as a result of the major disaster
declarations stemming from
the hurricane.
Residents who have been
displaced, including uninsured
families, will be eligible for
funds for housing assistance,
as well as crisis counseling, unemployment
assistance, home
repairs and legal services.
State agency personnel
will be stationed within the
facilities to connect impacted
citizens with state programs or
services that may be available
to assist them in their recovery.
After advocating for a recovery
center to be located in her
congressional district in Flushing,
where many of her constituents
have suffered from devastating
losses, Congresswoman
Grace Meng said the center will
be a “vital resource to ensuring
that they get the help they need
and deserve.”
“I encourage those who
have been impacted to take advantage
of the assistance that
the staff at this facility have
to offer. Thank you to FEMA
for opening this center and for
working to assist Queens residents
who have been devastated
by the storm,” Meng said.
Survivors with internet
or phone service may
register with FEMA using
the FEMA App, online at
disasterassistance.gov or by
calling 800-621-3362.Individuals
who have a speech disability
or hearing loss and use
TTY should call 800-462-7585
directly. Those who use 711 or
Video Relay Service may call
800-621-3362.
The toll-free telephone numbers
operate from 7 a.m. to 11
p.m. (local time) seven days a
week until further notice. Operators
are multilingual and
those who use a relay service
such as a videophone, InnoCaption
or CapTel should update
FEMA with their specific number
assigned to that service.
If you need accommodations
for language or a disability,
let the operator know. With
current connectivity issues,
the recovery center also offers
a place for survivors to register
for assistance in person and get
one-on-one help from recovery
specialists.
For additional online
resources, as well as FEMA
downloadable pamphlets
and other aids, visit
disasterassistance.gov and
click “information.”
Vol. 87 No. 38 36 total pages
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