The Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Centerin Brookhaven will permanently close Saturday at 6 p.m., agencyofficials said.

The center opened Oct. 6 to assist those with damages fromHurricane Katrina. Representatives from several agencies hadlocated in the DRC in an attempt to provide a more streamlined andefficient aid system.

In press releases, state and federal officials cited a reductionof activity at the Brookhaven DRC as the reason for itsclosure.

Nick Russo, federal coordinating officer for disaster recovery,said the closure is a positive sign of recovery in southwestMississippi, where DRCs have already closed in Lawrence, Copiah andFranklin counties.

“The reduced level of activity at the Brookhaven center meanswe’re moving forward in the recovery process,” Russo said in arelease. “It’s important that disaster survivors know that eventhough this site is closing, the same assistance programs are stillavailable to them through FEMA’s toll-free number until March11.”

In addition to calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), some centersremain open. The nearest open centers are at the old Blockbusterbuilding on Delaware Avenue in McComb or Town Square Center onHighway 98 in Columbia.

The latest statistics of FEMA aid show figures up to Jan.18.

In Lincoln County, there have been 7,441 registrations forassistance, with 4,489 of those registrations coming from visits tothe DRC. The remainder registered by calling the FEMA hot line oronline at www.fema.gov.

The registrations have resulted in $3.94 million in housingassistance and $1.16 million in other needs assistance. They alsoshow that 16 travel trailers and less than 10 mobile homes havebeen provided to county residents for temporary housing.

Twenty public assistance projects have been projected forLincoln County. Public assistance projects include governmental andprivate non-profit entities, such as courthouse or water and sewersystem repairs or the reimbursement of Katrina-relatedexpenses.

The Lincoln County center is also accepting applicants fromLawrence and Copiah counties, where DRCs were closed Nov. 12, andFranklin County, where a mobile DRC was closed Dec. 1.

Prior to the closures, the Lawrence County DRC received 1,046visits from 5,339 applicants. Residents there were provided $3.33million in housing assistance, $1.27 million in other needsassistance and six travel trailers were placed in the county.

In Copiah County, only 470 visits were made to the center from5,770 registered applicants, but the county received $2.91 millionin housing assistance and $799,449 in other needs assistance. Therehave been no travel trailers placed there.

A traveling DRC in Franklin County did not log visits from amongthe county’s 1,463 applicants and assistance there was much lessthan that provided to its neighbors. Franklin County residentsreceived $788,874 in housing assistance and $204,234 in other needsassistance. However, the need for travel trailers was higher, withthe county receiving nearly 10 to provide temporary housing toresidents.