Health Department Waives Fees For Birth, Death Certificates For Persons Affected By Flooding

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 30-- Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Peter J. Jannetta today announced that persons who need to replace birth or death certificates which were lost or destroyed in the recent flooding may obtain a copy at no charge from the state Health Department.

Jannetta said the usual fees -- $4 for a birth certificate and $3 for a death certificate -- will be waived while the Disaster Resource Centers are in operation.

"By waiving the fee and arranging for the document to be mailed, we are able to help flood victims, who certainly have other things on their minds at the moment," Jannetta said.

Jannetta said the department is making the documents available through both the Disaster Resource Centers, which have been established throughout the state, and the department's Vital Records offices in New Castle, Harrisburg, Scranton, Erie, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Written requests should be sent to: Vital Records, P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. Flood victims applying in writing should cite flood-related reasons, so that the fee can be waived.

To find the location of the nearest Disaster Recovery Center, call toll-free 800-462-9029, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Vital Records offices are located as follows:

New Castle -- Room 401, Central Building, 101 S. Mercer St.

Harrisburg -- Room 516, Health and Welfare Building, Seventh and Forster Sts.

Scranton -- Room 512, State Office Building, 100 Lackawanna Ave.

Erie -- 1910 W. 26th St.

Philadelphia -- Room 1009, State Office Building,

1400 W. Spring Garden St.

Pittsburgh -- Room 512, State Office Building, 300 Liberty Ave.

When applying for a birth certificate, the following information must be included: name at birth, date of birth, city and county of birth, parents' names (including mother's maiden name), relationship of the requestor to the person named, a daytime telephone number and a mailing address.

When applying for a death certificate, the requestor must include the name of the deceased, place and date of death, and the Social Security number of the deceased, if known.

The continuing disaster aid operation is being conducted jointly by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

CONTACT: Bruce Reimer or Bob Fisher of Pennsylvania of Department of Health, 717-787-1783 17:57 EST