ATLANTA -- Friday afternoon at 1 p.m., six new Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) will open to provide Georgians who experienced losses from the May tornadoes with the opportunity to get in-person advice about assistance and recovery. The new centers are in Douglas, Emanuel, McIntosh, Jefferson, Twiggs, and Johnson counties. Following Friday, they will be open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday until further notice. Locations are listed below.

Officials from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said these centers are in addition to the seven others that opened, since a federal disaster was declared on May 23 that made individuals in 10 Georgia counties eligible for assistance with uninsured tornado losses. The first centers opened in hardest hit Bibb County on May 25.

"Getting back to normal after surviving a tornado can be challenging," said Federal Coordinating Officer Jeff Bryant. "We're partnering with the state to give people in every affected county the chance to talk face-to-face about any help they need accessing assistance programs."

FEMA officials encourage affected homeowners, renters and business owners, if possible, to register for assistance before they visit a DRC. FEMA's toll free telephone registration and help line, 800-621-FEMA (3362), is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time seven days a week. For speech- or hearing-impaired applicants, the TTY number is 800-462-7585.

Applicants can register online any time at www.fema.gov.

"We're doing all we can to get people any help they're eligible for," said Deputy State Coordinating Officer Joe McKinney. "The DRCs bring assistance to the people right in their own communities. I hope anyone who needs help with program information, completing forms, or anything else takes advantage of this chance to get help." Federal disaster assistance can include grants for short-term rental needs, for homeowners to make repairs and for a variety of other disaster-related expenses. Grants cover basic needs only and will not normally compensate storm victims for their entire loss.

Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration may be available to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes to pay for repair, rebuilding or replacement of property not fully covered by insurance. SBA representatives are at all DRCs to answer questions, provide applications and assistance completing them, and to accept completed applications.

The 10 individual assistance counties included in the disaster declaration for the May 11-12 tornadoes and storms are Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh and Twiggs.

Disaster Recovery Centers Opening Friday, May 30
Friday Operating Hours: 1 p.m.-7 p.m.
Operating Hours After Friday: 8 a.m.-7 pm Mon.-Sat.

Douglas County Bright Star United Methodist Church
3715 Bright Star Road
Douglasville, GA 30134

Emanuel County Varner 4-H Center
220 South Circle Drive
Swainsboro, GA 30401

McIntosh County Coastal Worship Center
14760 Georgia Highway 99
Darien, GA 31305

Jefferson County National Guard Armory
1841 Highway 21 West
Louisville, GA 30434

Twiggs County-Dry Branch Fire Department
5328 Old Gordon Road
Dry Branch, GA 31020

Johnson County-Kite Fire Department City Hall
102 Railroad Street
Kite, GA 31049

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

SBA's disaster loans are the primary form of federal assistance for non-farm, private sector disaster losses. Disaster loans from SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and nonprofit organizations fund repair and replacement of disaster damaged real and personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 or online at www.sba.gov.

For more information on Georgia's disaster recovery, visit www.fema.gov or www.gema.ga.gov or www.ready.ga.gov or www.georgia911.org or www.afcema.com.