Disaster center will close Thursday





Residents who need help coping with storm damage have one more day to take advantage of the Disaster Recovery Center in Waynesboro.

The center, set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be open until 7 p.m., Thursday, April 3. It is located in the Citizens Park Gymnasium on Highway 24 South.

Since the center was opened last Thursday, about 60 residents have come to apply for assistance from federal, state and nonprofit agencies represented there, according to Burke County EMA Chief Rusty Sanders.

FEMA began operating the center after Burke County was declared a federal disaster area nearly two weeks ago due to storm and tornado damage.

Though the center will close Thursday, Sanders said residents and businesses may still apply for assistance during the next several weeks by calling the FEMA hotline at 1-800- 621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1- 800-462-7585. Online registration is also available at www.fema.org.

The American Red Cross has also been providing aid to affected families in Burke County. The Augusta chapter has doled out about $1,300 in direct financial assistance and is currently working on five cases involving 15 people in the county, according to spokesperson Scotty McDuffie.


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