Tornado recovery centers permanently closing

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Nearly two months after tornadoes tore through Northeast Arkansas, FEMA announced it will permanently close two recovery centers.

The joint State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) in Newport and Monette will close on Friday, Feb. 4, and Saturday, Feb. 5, respectively, according to a Jan. 31 news release. The Trumann DRC will remain open until further notice.

Until then, survivors of the Dec. 10 tornadoes can meet one-on-one with specialists from FEMA, the Small Business Administration, and state and local agencies for disaster assistance.

When the centers close, residents will be able to review the status of their applications online at DiasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CST.

Residents of Craighead, Jackson, Mississippi, Poinsett, and Woodruff can visit any open disaster recovery center.

Jackson County-Will close permanently Fri., Feb. 4 at 4 p.m.

Diaz City Hall

3401 S. Main St.

Newport, AR 72112

Hours of operation this week: Thurs. and Fri. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Craighead County-Will close permanently Sat. Feb. 5 at 6 p.m.

First Baptist Church of Monette

18847 Highway 18

Monette, AR 72447

Hours of operation this week: Mon. through Sat. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Poinsett County-Open until further notice