The Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency recently opened five Disaster Recovery Centers in Chilton County to help survivors of the Jan. 22-23 tornadoes, according to a FEMA news release Feb. 7.

People who need services at the DRCs in Clanton and Maplesville should visit those sites by Saturday, Feb. 11 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Traffic to those centers has decreased – an indication that the information needed in those areas mostly has been met.

Disaster survivors who live in the counties covered by the federal declaration are free to go to any center they wish, regardless of where they live. However, those who want to visit the DRCs in Clanton or Maplesville will need to go to those centers by Feb. 11.

When disaster survivors visit a DRC, they can sit down with a variety of specialists for answers to specific questions or help completing FEMA registration. This one-on-one help is available to homeowners, renters, businesses and qualified nonprofits.

The deadline to apply for individual assistance through FEMA is April 2.

Anyone in Chilton County who was impacted by the Jan. 22-23 storms should register for FEMA assistance, regardless of whether they have property insurance.

Those who do have property insurance should contact their insurance companies and file the necessary claims as soon as possible because FEMA assistance is affected by any insurance monies that the applicant has received.

Representatives of the U.S. Small Business Administration also are on hand at DRCs to describe low-interest disaster loans available to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes.

The deadline to return loan applications to SBA is also April 2.

Disaster survivors who have not registered with FEMA, have questions about their applications or need more information about recovery programs can call FEMA’s toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and multilingual assistance is available.

Survivors who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY can call 800-462-7585 directly; if they use 711 or Video Relay Service, they can call 800-621-3362.

Online registration is available at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or through a Web-enabled device or smart phone with the FEMA app or by visiting m.fema.gov.

Disaster Recovery Center locations in Chilton County are Clanton City Hall and Maplesville Public Library.