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McMechen Disaster Recovery Center to Close on Wednesday

Residents can still register with FEMA until Oct. 17

File Photo by Alan Olson Federal Emergency Management Agency workers assist a Marshall County resident applying for flood-related assistance at a disaster recovery center set up inside the former Bishop Donahue High School in McMechen. The center will close Wednesday, FEMA officials announced.

McMECHEN — After serving flood-stricken Marshall County residents for three weeks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center in McMechen will close its doors at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Although the center, located inside the former Bishop Donahue High School, will be closed, Marshall County residents affected by the late July flash flood still can apply for FEMA assistance through Oct. 17 by calling 1-800-621-3362, or visiting disaster assistance.gov.

The disaster recovery center for Wetzel County residents inside the Hundred High School library will remain open, FEMA officials said.

Its hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

FEMA spokesman Tom Kempton said the McMechen center had been assisting 10-15 people daily, but noted the immediate need for on-site assistance has diminished.

“People can still register,” Kempton said. “At this point of a disaster, most people who are coming into a DRC are not brand-new registrations. It’s because they have questions, or they want to track a claim. That can be done online, with the registration number they already received.”

Until the final cutoff, Kempton said FEMA inspectors will be available for assistance, regardless of the DRC’s closure.

“An inspector will still come out, look at the property, as if you had walked into the DRC and done it,” he said. “If they get a letter back that says ‘no,’ people think it’s a rejection letter. A lot of times, it’s a determination letter, and there’s more information needed, and they’re not able to process the claim, like insurance, or a Social Security. In some of these rural areas, it’s a lack of a proper location. A lot of places don’t have a proper address or property identification. Often, those can be worked out with the local emergency management to get a proper location.”

Since the July 28-29 flood, Kempton said 232 people had visited the center to register for assistance. McMechen City Manager Julie Bratton estimated 510 families in the city were impacted by the flood, and she urges all of them to seek help from FEMA.

“Not all of those lost everything, but they had some (damage). Every single one of those should go and open a case,” Bratton said.

What initially appeared to be minor damage can turn out to be much more severe, Bratton noted.

“Since (last Wednesday), the damage to my house has gotten worse. We thought it was one wall, we went home later that day, and we had all this water. We found that the chimney has cracked and shifted. … We didn’t get massive mud, we got water — and it was enough.”

Bratton said the disaster recovery center has been a crucial resource for getting residents the help they need.

“I know they have plans to work diligently to get as many people signed up as possible. Every time I go in there, I see people. I’m in there a couple times a week, and it’s always busy. There’s not lines out the door, but it is being utilized,” Bratton said. “They’re very empathetic and compassionate. … Just because the recovery center isn’t going to be there, we still encourage people to call and make the claim. They’ll come up.”

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