Foot traffic has been light at the disaster recovery center handling flood emergency claims for Lancaster County.

"Things are going as well as can be expected," Patricia Whitt, public information officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Wednesday. "The word is getting out."

FEMA, in conjunction with several state agencies and the Red Cross, opened a center at 2270 Erin Court, near Rohrerstown, on Sept. 20 to provide aid to those hardest hit by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

Since then, Whitt said, "We've had 186 people that have walked through the doors."

That's pretty light compared to numbers at 19 other recovery centers that have been established in Pennsylvania since the two storms roared through the region in late August and early September.

There has been more foot traffic at centers in Lebanon, Dauphin, Columbia and Luzerne counties, she said.

As of Tuesday, she said, 9,420 visitors have sought aid or information by walking into a recovery center.

However, Whitt said, foot traffic does not reflect the actual number of people who have registered for federal aid.

Online registrations are available at disasterassistance.gov, she said, and people also can register by calling 1-800-621-3362. Most people, she said, are using one of those options; they're going to a recovery center only if they have questions they want answered face to face.

All told, Whitt said, 3,217 property owners have registered claims so far in Lancaster County. More than 30,000 people have filed for FEMA assistance in Pennsylvania.

The recovery center offers aid in several areas, including housing assistance, hazard mitigation, business loans and tax claims.

To date, Whitt said, FEMA has approved $59.5 million in federal assistance in the state, which declared disasters in 28 counties.

There is no plan to close the recovery center here, Whitt said. The office, which is just off Route 741 at Route 30, will remain open daily, including weekends, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice.

Property owners have 60 days from the declaration of a disaster to file claims.

FEMA issued a statement this week reminding people who seek federal aid that any money awarded "is intended to meet basic disaster-related needs."

"It is important to keep receipts of merchandise and services purchased with the money for three years in the event of an audit," the release states. "Misuse of the grant could mean the recipient would have to pay the money back and also might be denied grant assistance if a future disaster occurs."

For example, housing-assistance grants must be spent for basic home repairs, short-term rental housing or reimbursement of lodging costs incurred because of a disaster.

tknapp@lnpnews.com