Disaster Recovery Center is Open in Cocke County

Cocke County residents who had damage or losses from Tropical Storm Helene are encouraged to visit FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Center in the old Walmart Building in Newport to apply for FEMA disaster assistance.

The center is staffed with specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration and may have representatives from other organizations to help you recover. Specialists can also explain the rental assistance available to homeowners and renters, submit your documents to a FEMA processing center, and scan or copy new information or documents needed for your case files.

The Cocke County Disaster Recovery Center is located at the Old Walmart Building behind Krystal Fast Food Restaurant, 593-B W Broadway, Newport, TN 37821. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Monday to Saturday. The center is closed Sundays and also closed on Tuesday, Dec. 24; Wednesday, Dec. 25; Tuesday, Dec. 31 and Wednesday, Jan. 1.

All other Eastern Tennessee Disaster Recovery Centers are also closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Their regular operating hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Monday to Saturday; closed Sunday, except where noted.

• Carter County: Carter County Public Library, 201 N. Sycamore St., Elizabethton, TN 37643. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Saturday.
• Johnson County: Tennessee National Guard Armory, 1923 S. Shady St., Mountain City, TN 37683
• Unicoi County: National Guard Armory/Unicoi Emergency Operations Center, 615 South Main Ave., Erwin, TN 37650
• Washington County: Cherry Grove Baptist Church, 104 Cherry Grove Rd., Jonesborough, TN  37659

Survivors have until Tuesday, Jan. 7, to apply for federal disaster assistance.

There are several other ways to apply. Go to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern Time seven days a week and specialists speak many languages. To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube.