Update: The FEMA DRC mobile unit will not be at Piermont Library but will be at Piermont Village Hall. ---

Two weeks ago, Senator Chuck Schumer joined other elected officials on a tour led by Piermont Mayor Chris Sanders. They visited businesses and residents in downtown Piermont that were one of the hardest hit areas from Hurricane Sandy. After the tour, Schumer petitioned FEMA for a second Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Rockland County. The first one was opened at Provident Bank Park in Pomona.

On Sunday, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) will send a DRC to Piermont and the surrounding towns in order to provide better federal support to local residents and business owners in this storm-ravaged community. The Mobile DRC is expected to begin in Piermont in the parking lot of Dennis P. McHugh Library, on Monday. The location of the Mobile DRC will change throughout Rockland County based on the local need of federal assistance, although the center could stay in a single location for an extended period if needed.

DRCs are facilities or mobile units that provide resources and guidance for residents who wish to apply for FEMA and other disaster assistance programs. It'll be staffed with FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA) employees who answer questions and provide resources for residents affected by Sandy.

Federal specialists will staff the Mobile DRC from noon to 6 p.m. on Monday and tentatively from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on subsequent days, and help ensure that qualified residents and businesses get the assistance to which they're entitled. These centers provide information on housing assistance, rental resource assistance, clarification and guidance to questions and referrals to agencies that may provide further assistance.

"For residents and business owners in storm-ravaged parts of southern Rockland County, I'm pleased to announce that additional federal support is on the way," said Schumer. "FEMA has heeded my call and will send a Mobile Disaster Recovery Center to Piermont and the surrounding communities, starting on Monday, which will bring recovery experts directly into the community, and open up a great deal of additional resources to help get things back on track. This second DRC closer to Piermont, one of the hardest hit communities in the County, will serve as one stop shops for residents, business owners and local officials to work with FEMA and access the resources that the emergency disaster declaration provides." In the days following the storm, Senator Schumer called on FEMA Administrator Fugate and urged him to establish an initial disaster recovery center in Rockland County.