Hurricane Irene Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Philadelphia

A federal/state Disaster Recovery Center for people affected by Hurricane Irene will open in Philadelphia on Monday, September 19.

The Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will be located in the Packard Building at 111 S. 15th Street, third floor (use the Sansom Street entrance, take the stairs or the chair lift to the left, go past one elevator, go through the doorway with the glass doors and take the next elevator to the third floor). It will open on Monday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. After Monday, the center will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Various federal and state agencies will be on hand to provide assistance to those residents affected by Hurricane Irene.

Those, with insurance, need to contact their insurance agent and file a personal claim before contacting FEMA. Additionally, anyone planning to come to a DRC should register with FEMA first, in order to make their visit more productive and efficient.

Applicants may visit any DRC regardless of where they live or work. Online registry is available at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov, you can also register by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants with a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly. For those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. Operators are available seven days a week between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

When applying applicants should have the following information available:

• Social Security Number (including spouse)
• Private insurance information, if available
• Address and zip code of the damaged property
• Directions to the damaged home or property
• Daytime telephone number and current mailing address

There are five private parking lots within two blocks of the DRC and SEPTA routes within one block of the DRC include:

Subway/El
• Broad Street Subway - City Hall
• Market-Frankford Line - 15th St

Bus
• Route 5 - Penn's Landing to Frankford Transportation Center
• Route 9 - Andorra to Center City and Independence Mall
• Route 12 - Kingsessing to Society Hill
• Route 17 - South Philadelphia to Penn's Landing
• Route 21 - 69th St to Penn's Landing
• Route 27 - Plymouth Meeting Mall/Barren Hill to Center City
• Route 31 - Overbrook Park to Center City
• Route 32 - Roxborough to Center City
• Route 33 - Tioga to Penn's Landing
• Route 38 - Independence Mall to Wissahickon Transportation Center
• Route 42 - Wycombe and West Philadelphia to Penn's Landing
• Route 44 - Ardmore and Gladwyne to Independence Mall
• Route 48 - North Philadelphia to Penn's Landing
• Route 62 - Andorra, Roxborough and Manayunk to Center City
• Route 124 - Center City to King of Prussia and Chesterbrook
• Route 125 - Center City to King of Prussia and Valley Forge

Trolley (15th St stop)
• Route 10 - Lancaster Ave
• Route 11 - Woodland Ave
• Route 13 - Chester Ave
• Route 34 - Baltimore Ave
• Route 36 - Elmwood Ave