Saline County disaster center set up in Benton

A Disaster Assistance Center, the first of its kind in Arkansas, will be open Monday and Tuesday in Saline County to connect disaster survivors with federal specialists who can help them start their recoveries.

The Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) will operate in the Saline County Office of Emergency Management, 102 S. Main, Level B, Benton, AR 72015. Hours both days are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

When this reporter asked FEMA spokesman Bob Howard why the disaster center was set up in Benton instead of nearer the Village or in the Village which sustained most of the damage to Saline County during the April tornado, he replied it was the decision of the Department of Emergency Management representative. Evidently, the rep thought it was more important Villagers should drive a long distance instead of his driving a long distance.

Survivors can meet with specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The staff can answer questions and help survivors register with FEMA and take care of other paperwork.

"DACs are a streamlined version of Disaster Recovery Centers already in use around the state," State Coordinating Officer David Maxwell said. "They offer the same face-to-face contact with disaster professionals."

"Assistance Centers may be open for just a couple of days, but our goal is to reach as many people throughout the state as we can," said Federal Coordinating Officer Nancy M. Casper.

More DACs are slated to open in the next few weeks. In fact, those who have already registered with FEMA will receive automated phone calls from the agency to tell them when a center will open near them.

To expedite the assistance process, Arkansans are encouraged to register with FEMA before visiting, but registering is not required to receive help at the center.

Survivors may register through any one of FEMA's registration portals: online at www.disasterassistance.gov, via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov, or by telephone toll free at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Specialists are available by phone from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.

Visit www.fema.gov or www.adem.arkansas.gov for news and information about this disaster. Follow FEMA tweets about the Arkansas disaster at www.twitter.com/femaregion6. Other online resources include http://blog.fema.gov, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema.