FEMA offices will be open Friday

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will emulate the state of Iowa in passing up a voluntary holiday tomorrow for its disaster recovery centers. The six disaster recovery centers around the state will remain open Friday, to serve Iowans affected by recent storms, flooding and tornadoes. FEMA’s Lew Wood says while the state’s keeping offices open to avoid a big expense, the mission of the D-R-C offices is a time-sensitive one. The window for applying for disaster assistance is generally 60 days from the president’s declaration and for Iowa that happened on May 25. Wood says the decision hasn’t been made yet when the Iowa offices might close down. When it seems like most people have taken advantage of the programs and attendance begins to drop off, then the agency will consider closing them. The offices keep long business hours to accommodate people who’ve started their disaster-recovery process and want to drop in and ask about programs that may help. They’re all open from 8 A.M. till 6 P.M. Monday through Saturday. The one exception is the Waukee center, open weekdays 10 A.M. until 8 P.M., and on Saturday eight to noon, so workers in Polk County who didn’t have time to get to the nearest center yet can visit with workers about the disaster-recovery programs available.