VIDALIA — The deadline to pre-register for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid for damage caused by Hurricane Gustav has been extended until Dec. 3.

The deadline was previously set for Friday.

“It is very common to have these deadlines extended, but we urge people to get registered because they have got to start there anyway,” FEMA Public Information Officer Ed Edhal said.

A FEMA disaster recovery center, where agency officials will help citizens process claims for aid, will open at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center Monday and will stay open through Nov. 29.

The recovery center will be closed Nov. 23 — a Sunday — and Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27.

The disaster recovery center will be in the Jim Bowie room on the south end of the convention center, Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said.

Anyone — not just Adams County and Concordia Parish residents — can use the disaster recovery center, Edhal said.

Pre-registration will help speed the claims processing.

To register online with FEMA, visit www.fema.gov.

To register by phone, call 1- 800-621-FEMA (3362).

Before registering, citizens should have their Social Security number, information about private insurance if they have any, telephone numbers where FEMA can reach them and bank account information to allow for direct deposit if they are approved.

They should also have available the address and zip code of the damaged property, a current mailing address and directions to the property.