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John Prine stands where his nephew’s doublewide mobile home formerly stood Saturday morning, April 16, 2011, in Deer Park, Ala. His nephew Greg Box‘s wife, Jean, and their children, Sheldon, 14, and Hunter, 11, were killed when a tornado lifted up and ripped apart the home the night before. Greg Box was badly injured, as was his daughter, Taylor, 17, and a guest, Shelby Driver, 17. All three were in critical condition at University of South Alabama Medical Center on Saturday. (Press-Register/Russ Hunderson)

MOBILE, Ala. — Federal Emergency Management Agency and state officials today opened a disaster recovery center at the Epworth Volunteer Fire Station in Washington County.

The station, at 7230 Vinegar Bend Road in Deer Park, will be open from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, said Jim Homstad, a FEMA spokesman. It will close permanently after that, he said.

The center will provide a one-stop location for tornado victims to get information to help them through the recovery process.

A spate of tornadoes tore through the Southeast in April. On April 15, three Deer Park residents were killed by a tornado system that took 44 lives throughout the country.

On April 27, another tornado system killed more than 238 people in Alabama and caused an estimated $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion in property damage statewide.

The recovery center is for survivors of both disasters, Homstad said. 

FEMA has received 73,502 applications for assistance statewide, and the agency and state have approved $41.4 million so far toward housing and other needs.

Washington County residents have filed 87 applications for assistance, and FEMA and the state have approved about $63,000 for use there. 

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