The Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin processing local flood claims Tuesday afternoon.
A temporary disaster recovery center will be housed in county offices at 2270 Erin Court, just off the Rohrerstown exit of Route 30 in East Hempfield Township.
The FEMA office will open Tuesday at 1 p.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m.
Beginning Wednesday, the FEMA office will be open daily, including weekends, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., until further notice, a spokeswoman for the Lancaster Emergency Management Agency said Monday.
Municipalities, school districts, individual property owners and businesses are eligible to apply for federal aid for damage sustained from Tropical Storm Lee, which dumped 8 to 15 inches of rain on Lancaster County earlier this month.
According to the FEMA website, anyone making a claim should have the following information: Social Security numbers (including spouse); private insurance information, if applicable; address and zip code of the damaged property; directions to the damaged site; daytime telephone number; and current mailing address.
Call 1-800-621-3362 or visit FEMA online at disasterassistance.gov for more information or to register for aid.
Officials recommend registering before visiting the disaster recovery center.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Environmental Protection will assist property owners in obtaining emergency permits to repair or replace structures in the floodway.
Emergency permits also are available for conducting stabilization work, such as rebuilding collapsed stream banks or fixing a damaged bridge or culvert, in flooded areas.
Authorization is still required for encroachments or obstructions within the floodway. To apply for an emergency permit, contact the southcentral regional DEP office at 705-4802 or the Lancaster County Conservation District at 299-5361, ext. 5.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service also has information on Emergency Watershed Protection funding, which is intended to restore stream channel capacity if diminished capacity poses a threat to homes, businesses, public utilities and other improved properties.
Requests for assistance from the NRCS are due Sept. 30. Call 299-5361, ext. 5, for more information.
DEP also announced Friday that it would initiate emergency mosquito control operations in 18 counties affected by flooding, including Lancaster County.
Floodwaters and heavy rains have created breeding grounds for the insects, DEP officials noted, leading to a dramatic rise in mosquito populations across the northcentral, northeast and southcentral regions of the state. The department will conduct truck-mounted and aerial sprayings, targeting both larvae and adult mosquitoes.
Flood damage from Tropical Storm Lee affected more than 1,600 properties in Lancaster County. Among the hardest-hit areas were Manheim, Marietta, Mount Joy, Ephrata and Elizabethtown.
Officials have estimated damage will total "tens of millions of dollars."
The county has posted information on its website (www.co.lancaster.pa.us) on how to apply for disaster assistance.
In Ephrata, meanwhile, a permanent drop-off and distribution center has been established at the former Artworks at Doneckers, 100 N. State St.
Cindy Mellinger, marketing and community relations coordinator for Blue Ridge Communications, said the most immediate needs include living room, bedroom and kitchen furniture; appliances; newly packaged men's, women's and children's' underwear; new socks; toddler jeans for boys, sizes 3 and 4; towels; washcloths; disinfectants; cleaning supplies; bleach; a twin-sized mattress and box spring,;and children's' books and toys.
Drop-off hours are 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday and Friday and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
Donors may drop off items at the loading dock along North State Street.
Brian Ingraham, youth minister with Reformed Presbyterian Church, is overseeing the drop-off center. He can be contacted at 733-0462, ext. 212, or by email at brian@ephratarpc.com.
Items also can be dropped off at Blue Ridge Communications, 804 Academy Drive, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Food donations, including gift cards to food stores, can be brought to Ephrata Area Social Services, 227 N. State St. Donations should be ear-marked for flood victims.
Cash donations also are needed to help displaced persons with temporary housing costs. Checks marked for flood relief also can be given to EASS.
Some victims need temporary storage for items they have salvaged or received. Volunteers are still needed to help with relief efforts.
Staff writer Larry Alexander contributed to this report.
