South Texas Disaster Recovery Centers Closing Aug. 1

AUSTIN, Texas – In coordination with the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will permanently close Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) next week in the South Texas counties affected by the severe storms and flooding that occurred March 26-28.

The DRCs are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at these locations. The centers will close Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m.

Cameron:

Harlingen Convention Center

701 Harlingen Heights

Harlingen, TX 78552

 

San Benito Parks and Recreation Bldg.

705 N. Bowie St.

San Benito, TX. 78586

 

Hidalgo County

Weslaco EDC

275 S. Kansas Ave.

Weslaco, TX 78596

 

Pharr Development & Research Center

850 W. Dicker Road

Pharr, TX. 78577

FEMA and SBA are supporting state-led recovery efforts at the recovery centers. Staff can help survivors affected by the storms in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties check the status of their application for disaster assistance. They can also identify potential needs and connect survivors with local, state and federal agencies, as well as nonprofits and community groups. Residents can visit any open center to meet with representatives of FEMA, the state of Texas and the SBA. No appointment is needed.

All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology. If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter, please call 833-285-7448 (press 2 for Spanish).

SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the centers to answer questions, assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents, and provide updates on an application’s status.

For information, visit SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

After the DRCs close, help with disaster assistance will remain available via the FEMA Helpline, where FEMA representatives are available to answer questions on application status, the appeals process or other disaster-related inquiries. Survivors may contact the FEMA Helpline by calling 800-621-3362 or may also go online at disasterassistance.gov or use the FEMA mobile app for information on their applications. The phone line is open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, you may provide FEMA your phone number to utilize the service. 

For more information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4871. Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook.com/FEMARegion6