Disaster Recovery Center Reopening in Manchester

The former center at the Manchester Fire Department, 37 Readfield Rd., Manchester, ME, will reopen March 22, and will be open through April 1. The hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Sundays.

If you live in Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford or Somerset counties and were affected by the severe storms and flooding from December 17-21, 2023, you can visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance, upload documents needed for your application and get answers to questions in person. Centers have representatives available from FEMA, the state of Maine and the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

There are several other ways to register:

• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.  Help is available in most languages. The Helpline is available daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
• Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov (also in Spanish).
• Download the FEMA mobile app (also in Spanish), available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Assistance from FEMA may include funds for temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home, such as rental assistance or reimbursement for hotel costs; funds to support the repair or replacement of owner-occupied homes that serve as the household’s primary residence, including privately-owned access routes, such as driveways, roads, or bridges; and funds for disaster-caused expenses and serious needs, such as repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles, funds for moving and storage, medical, dental, child care and other miscellaneous items.

Applicants for disaster assistance should have the following information prior to registration: Social Security number; address of the damaged primary residence; insurance coverage information; current telephone number and mailing address; and bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds.

Survivors should keep their contact information updated with FEMA because they may need to reach them to perform a home inspection or get additional information. For faster reimbursement, FEMA encourages survivors to request direct deposits of disaster assistance to their financial institution. Survivors should let FEMA know as soon as possible of any changes to their mailing or banking information.

Disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.