Disaster Assistance Outreach Unit Comes to Robertsdale, Ala.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Assistance Outreach unit will visit Robertsdale on Thursday, Feb. 23-28. The unit will be closed on Sunday. It will open on Thursday at 11 a.m. and will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily thereafter.

The five-day outreach will be held at the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency, 23100 McAuliffe Dr. in Robertsdale.

A Disaster Recovery Specialist will be there to assist evacuees and Alabamians affected by Hurricane Katrina as they develop their long-term housing solutions. Information on housing options here and in other states will be available, as well as information on volunteer organizations that are currently assisting hurricane survivors. Anyone needing Katrina housing assistance is invited to attend.

Individuals and families who have registered with FEMA can check the status of an existing application and get their questions answered on disaster programs, including housing assistance and individual and household grants.

Individuals with disaster-related needs who have not yet registered for assistance are advised to call the FEMA teleregistration number, 800-621-FEMA (3362) before visiting the Outreach unit. The speech- or hearing-impaired may call (TTY) 800-462-7585. The lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until further notice. Multilingual operators can assist applicants in many different languages. Registration via the Internet is also available at www.fema.gov.