Chester County Establishes Multi-Agency Resource Center for Hurricane Ida Recovery
Chester County officials and the Department of Emergency Services announce the operation of a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) for all individuals and families in Chester County affected by Hurricane Ida.
The Chester County MARC is a “one stop shop” that provides assistance to all impacted residents by bringing together staff from many agencies who can help with the services needed to address the losses caused by Hurricane Ida.
The MARC will operate on Wednesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 9, from 12 noon to 7:00 p.m. at the United Sports Training Center, 1426 Marshallton Thorndale Road, Downingtown, PA.
At the MARC, residents will have access to representatives from non-profit disaster relief organizations including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, as well as Legal Aid of Southeastern PA and local emergency management agencies. Staff from Chester County government emergency services, health, human services, housing, workforce, veterans’ affairs and water resources departments will also be available to provide assistance.
Specifically, help will be given with reporting property damage and connections with local municipalities.
“In the aftermath of Ida, we have seen family, friends and neighbors pulling together to help each other in so many ways,” said Mike Murphy, Director, Chester County Department of Emergency Services.
“While it is not a federally-operated disaster relief center, this MARC is a County-led operation to bring together local resources quickly that can help to support individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Ida, including the important first step of fully and accurately reporting property damage for future state and federal aid.”
Parking is available on site, and public transportation services from the Coatesville, Downingtown and Avon Grove areas of the county to the United Sports Training Center will be provided by Rover Community Transportation. Details of the public transportation schedule will be announced by Tuesday, September 7, and posted on Chester County’s Hurricane Ida webpage, chesco.org/ida.
Reporting property damage
Chester County residents and business owners who sustained property damage during Hurricane Ida are strongly encouraged to report it to the municipality where the home or business is located. A damage risk assessment form has been created to capture the critical information, making it easier to provide relevant damage information. As the clean-up process begins, it is important to document everything with photos of the damage and receipts for repairs and cleaning.
For Chester County business owners, in addition to reporting property damage to the municipality where the business is located, all of Chester County’s chambers of commerce are working to provide assistance for their business communities. Please contact your local Chamber of Commerce for information and updates. And for additional support for businesses, the U.S Chamber of Commerce Foundation has a disaster support hotline – 1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP (888-692-4943).
PEMA and DES have activated an online survey tool that individuals can use to self-report damages to the state and county. The county will in-turn vet this info through each municipality for accuracy. Please share the link to the survey tool with your residents: https://arcg.is/1G1W9q
Housing Assistance
If you, or anyone you know, is still in need of housing assistance, please call 2-1-1 any time day or night, and select 2, 2, 1 on all of the prompts. Please identify as a flood victim and the referral assistance will be prioritized.
Flood Recovery Guide
For additional resources on cleaning up after the flood, please refer to Chester County’s Flood Recovery Guide.
For all information and ongoing updates on Chester County’s support for Hurricane Ida, go to chesco.org/Ida
Cleanup Support
SEPA Voluntary Organizations in Disaster (VOAD) is available to help home owners and business owners with flood clean-up. Contact 267-464-7740 or https://www.sepavoad.com/contact
UPDATES, 9/13:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Pennsylvania
Release Date: September 11, 2021
WASHINGTON -- FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to supplement commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Ida from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5, 2021. The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia and York counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures throughout the commonwealth. E. Craig Levy, Sr. has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
Pennsylvania/FEMA Disaster Center Will Open in Chester County to Help Pennsylvanians
Harrisburg, PA - The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center located at Ashbridge Square Shopping Center, 945 East Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown will open on Monday, September 20, 2021at 1:00 p.m. to help those whose homes or personal property were affected by the remnants of Hurricane Ida between August 31 -September 5, 2021.
The disaster center location and hours are as follows:
Ashbridge Square Shopping Center
945 E Lancaster Ave
Downingtown, PA
Hours of Operation:
Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Disaster Recovery Centers provide disaster survivors with information from Pennsylvania state agencies, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Survivors can get help applying for federal assistance, learn about the types of assistance available, learn about the appeals process and get updates on applications.
Visiting a Disaster Recovery Center is not required to register with FEMA. To register:
- Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or VRS (Video Relay Service) or require accommodations while visiting a center, call 800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov (also in Spanish);
- Download the FEMA mobile app (also in Spanish), also available at Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Disaster Recovery Centers are accessible to people with disabilities. They have assistive technology equipment that allows disaster survivors to use amplified telephones, phones that display text, amplified listening devices for people with hearing loss, and magnifiers for people with vision loss. Video Remote Interpreting is available and in-person sign language is available by request. The centers also have accessible parking, ramps and restrooms.
FEMA’s Individual Assistance program is designed to help survivors with immediate essential needs and to help displaced survivors find a safe, functional place to live temporarily until they can return home. Many survivors may have additional needs beyond what can be provided by FEMA. The agency works closely with state, federal, faith-based and voluntary agencies to help match survivors who have remaining needs with other sources of assistance.
For updates on the Pennsylvania response and recovery, follow the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency twitter.com/PEMAHQ on Twitter and Facebook https://m.facebook.com/PEMAHQ/. Additional information is available at fema.gov/disaster/4618.
For information about SBA’s disaster assistance, call 800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visit SBA’s website at SBA.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard of hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.