SARASOTA, Fla. — The lengthy wait times at local FEMA disaster recovery centers have shown how many people need assistance in recovering from the impacts of this season's recent hurricanes.
In Sarasota, the center at the Municipal Auditorium has now expanded to 12 hours.
That disaster recovery center location has only been open a little over a week. Throughout the day, Sarasota residents impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton trooped in and took their seats in line to wait for the next available FEMA staff.
However, some impacted residents who have come there said they have found themselves waiting several hours for a chance to get some help with their claims.
"We were shocked when we came in and they told us it was a three-hour wait," Karen Morton of Sarasota said.
Morton said she had attempted to file a claim via the phone, but after waiting a while the line cut off and she wasn't sure if her claim went through.
"We lost the carport we lost the shed roof. We lost all the awnings we've lost like really that's holding the roof. There is just flapping still so we don't know if we have water because we haven't had any rain," she said.
"I was here for four hours last week and I have just been informed that I'm going to have to wait three hours just to submit documents," Dorothy Neal of Sarasota said.
Different agencies were available to provide disaster recovery resources, but most folks who were there about their FEMA filings said they were expecting more staff members to match the demand for assistance in the area.
"During Irma, we were in and out of there in half an hour. There were probably 100 people on computers so it went very quickly," Morton said.
The center's hours are now from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but the last people in line are not getting seen till well past that.
"We have long hours. We're with you early and we stay late," Peter Frankel, manager of the FEMA disaster recovery center said.
Officials said they help an average of around 400 people daily. A recent United Way of Sarasota County FEMA assistance registration tally has more than 4,806 people linked to Hurricane Debby, 8,464 to Helene, and around 36,488 people to Milton so far.
"Now I'm up about eight people, but some of them are new and we are training them up and that takes a little while. If it's a new registration and people coming in just to register with FEMA that goes quicker because I have a staff that are just registration dedicated," Frankel said.
FEMA staff at the center are doing total case reviews, directing or advising folks on what people may be eligible for.
They're also reminding the public that FEMA assistance is a grant you don't have to repay and to shun misinformation.
"Don't listen to your neighbors. Don't listen to rumors come in here. Talk to us and let us give you the two information. We just ask people for their patience because FEMA is right now spread it through many states and we're just trying to do as much as we can with the staff that we have," Frankel said.
"I'd rather get it done right professionally to get somewhere in the system so this way I know is getting put in correctly," Neal said.
"We're here so we're going to wait it out. I'm not coming back up here tomorrow, they were like come first thing in the morning and I said I'm not a morning person so nope," Morton said.
Remember if you need a ride to the FEMA center, you can always call 311. To avoid the wait you can always apply or check the status of your FEMA Assistance online or by phone.