BATAVIA, Ohio — Clermont County residents and business owners whose homes or property were damaged in August’s severe storms can begin getting in-person help applying for federal disaster assistance Wednesday, when a Disaster Recovery Center opens in Cincinnati, according to Clermont County.
The center will open at noon Wednesday at the Hamilton County Central Campus, 1701 Patricia McCollum Way in the Bond Hill neighborhood, according to Hamilton County, which is hosting the site in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.
After its noon-to-8-p.m. opening Wednesday, the center will run 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, and is expected to remain open for about two weeks, according to Hamilton County.
Representatives from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Ohio Department of Insurance, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Hamilton County’s Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency will be on site to walk residents through the application process one-on-one, according to Hamilton County.
Those who visit should bring insurance information, current contact information, their pre- and post-disaster addresses, Social Security numbers, a list of damaged or lost property, banking information for direct deposit, and receipts for any disaster-related purchases, according to Hamilton County.
The center follows President Donald Trump’s approval of a major disaster declaration for Clermont County on Oct. 2, which also covered Franklin, Hamilton, Licking, Morgan, Muskingum and Perry counties after mid-August storms brought flooding, downed trees and extended power outages across the region.
The declaration activates FEMA’s Individual Assistance Grant Program, which can cover temporary housing, home repairs, rental assistance, replacement of personal property, crisis counseling and disaster unemployment assistance, in addition to low-interest Small Business Administration loans.
Applications must be submitted by Dec. 1, according to Hamilton County. Residents and business owners who don’t visit the center can also apply through the federal Disaster Assistance website, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or through the FEMA mobile app, according to Clermont County.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Clermont County and Hamilton County.