Federal agency opens disaster center in Kalispell

A state and federal disaster recovery center to help people affected by storms and flooding has opened in Kalispell.

The center is located in the 911 center at 625 Timberwolf Parkway. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday, Sept. 8. The center is open weekdays, but is closed on Labor Day.

Disaster recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will staff the center.

FEMA provides temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation, medical and dental costs and funeral and burial expenses.

People also can seek low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration after registering with FEMA. Those loans are designed to cover costs associated with repairing or replacing real estate and property that was damaged or destroyed.

People who want to seek financial assistance from FEMA for losses sustained in connection with the floods should register first either by calling 800-621-3362 or going online to www.DisasterAssistance.gov. People with speech disabilities or hearing loss can call 800-462-7585.

After registering, people should visit the disaster center to get additional questions answered about both FEMA and SBA programs.